Barefoot Contessa Cream Of Fresh Tomato Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 5
• 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

Recipe

• 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.