Reprinted with permission from The Berghoff Family Cookbook (Andrews McMeel 2007).
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 quart tomato-vegetable juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sliced fresh basil (sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch strips), plus extra for garnish (optional)
- 1 cup diced, seeded tomato
- Salt and ground black pepper
Preparation:
Makes 1 1/2 quarts. Serves 6.In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil and butter. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the juice, bay leaves, and bouillon cube, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer the soup for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
Stir in the heavy cream, tablespoon of basil, and tomatoes, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot or cold. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, 1 cup per serving, garnishing with an extra sprinkling of sliced basil, if desired.
