Barefoot Contessa Cream Of Fresh Tomato Soup - cooking recipe

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

Preparation

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