Cream of Tomato Soup

It seems that I have a soft spot for tomato soup recipes.  In spite of not calling for fresh tomatoes to be roasted (a favorite step of mine in preparing soup), this cost effective soup recipe, rich in flavor, has creeped its way to the top of my soup list.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of ground cloves

2 Tablespoons flour

one 28 ounce can diced tomatoes in puree

pinch of baking soda

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup milk, plus 1/2 cup more as needed (or 1/2 cup heavy cream in our case)

tomato paste, as needed for flavor

salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a soup pot an add the chopped onions and celery.  Cook for about five minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and wilted.  Add the basil and cloves and cook for another minute or two until fragrant, then add the flour.  Continue cooking for another two minutes, stirring, and then add the tomatoes, followed by the baking soda and the stock.

Lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes or so.  Remove the pot from the heat and carefully puree the soup in batches or using a stick blender in the pot.  Return the soup to the heat and add the milk, stirring to blend.  Add more milk or stock if the soup seems too thick.  Add a little tomato paste if it needs more tomato flavoring.  Salt and pepper to taste.