Cream Of Sun-Dried Tomato Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock or 4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups chopped ripe tomatoes or 4 cups canned Italian tomatoes, drained
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato (not in oil)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1 cup half-and-half or 1 cup heavy cream
sugar
salt
fresh ground pepper
chopped chives (to garnish)

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat.
Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and saute until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, tomatoes, potato, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Puree in a food processor, or blender, in small batches until smooth.
Strain through a fine sieve if desired.
Stir in the milk or cream and season with sugar, salt, and pepper.
Serve garnished with chopped chives.
This soup gets an additional tomato punch from the concentrated flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes.