Barefoot Contessa Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

Description: This is VERY delicious, wonderful comfort food on an early Fall day! I don't have a food mill, so used an immersion blender and then a colander for straining. I suppose a blender or food processor would work as well, using a colander for straining. This freezes well,(without adding the cream), thawed it out, heated, then added the cream. This is adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Back To Basics, I love Ina Garten! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 lbs vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaf, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
• 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or 3/4 cup half-and-half
• crouton, for garnish

Steps:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well.
4. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.
5. Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left.
6. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.