Cream Of Sun

Ingredients

1 qt milk
1 onion
6 peppercorns
1 pn salt
6 parsley stems
1/2 ts leaf thyme
1/2 bay leaf
4 tb rice flour
4 tb milk
2 c water
6 tb cream

Instructions

Chopped Herbs for garnish* -(basil, chervil or parsley) This creamy, vibrant red soup has but 100 calories per serving if you use low-fat milk and no cream. PLACE THE MILK, ONION, peppercorns, salt and bouquet garni in a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. Form a smooth paste of the rice flour and the cold milk. Put into the just-boiling milk and stir briskly until there are no lumps. Simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the sun-dried tomatoes in the 2 cups of water; do not drain. Strain the milk mixture, add the tomatoes and their liquid, and simmer another 5 minutes. In a blender, in batches, liquefy the soup. Return to the stove and bring just to a boil. Add the optional cream, if desired, and serve in hot bowls garnished with a minced green herb.