Cream of Sun-Dried Tomato Soup

• olive oil↗1 tablespoon
• medium onion, chopped↗1
• celery ribs, chopped↗2
• medium carrots, chopped↗2
• cloves garlic, finely chopped↗3
• chicken stock or 4 cups vegetable stock↗4 cups
• chopped ripe tomatoes or 4 cups canned Italian tomatoes, drained4 cups
• large potato, peeled and diced↗1
• sun-dried tomato (not in oil)↗1⁄2 cup
• chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil1 tablespoon
• half-and-half or 1 cup heavy cream↗1 cup
• sugar↗
• salt↗
• fresh ground pepper↗
• chopped chives (to garnish)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat.

2. 2

   Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sauté until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the stock, tomatoes, potato, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil.

4. 4

   Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

5. 5

   Puree in a food processor, or blender, in small batches until smooth.

6. 6

   Strain through a fine sieve if desired.

7. 7

   Stir in the milk or cream and season with sugar, salt, and pepper.

8. 8

   Serve garnished with chopped chives.

9. 9

   This soup gets an additional tomato punch from the concentrated flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes.