Creamy Tomato Soup

I have been making a lot of soup the last few weeks due to the slight dip in temperature here.....the stress here is on "slight " in reverence to my readers who are braving much colder weathers than the cool weather here in the south. But it does get chilly sometimes, you know and the soul longs for hot soup. I am very conservative when it comes to soup. I prefer the classic tomato soup, with its smooth texture and vibrant color. My recipe here is inspired from Emeril's recipe that I saw on his show with a few modifications of my own.



Assemble

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 garlic cloves minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup crushed tomato (canned)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
Cilantro to garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the onions turn transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Make sure you do not let lumps form here. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.