Cream Of Tomato Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
4 slices prosciutto
2 tablespoons flour
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup fat-free half-and-half or 1 cup milk
salt and pepper

Preparation

In a large pot, melt butter. Add onion, garlic, carrot and red pepper and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened and proscuitto is crisp.
Stir in flour and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, spices and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
In a food processor or blender, in batches, puree soup (optional.) Return to saucepan and stir in half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve.