Ingredients
- 2 undrained
- 2 stalks of celery (diced)
- 2 of garlic (cloves)
- 1 cooking onion (diced)
- 1 parsley for (garnish)
- 1/2 sweet pepper (red diced)
- 8 c beef stock
- 1/2 lb mushrooms
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 4 t butter
- 2 t flour
- 1 t sugar (white)
- 1/2 t rosemary
- 1/2 t thyme
- 1/2 t basil
Place the tomatoes, with juice, in a buttered oven-proof baking dish. Add the celery, garlic and red pepper and cover and bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Saute the mushrooms and onion in the second batch of butter in a large stock pot for about 8 minutes. While stirring, slowly add the flour and sugar, blending until mixture is very smooth. Add the stock, basil, rosemary and thyme, stirring until soup comes to a boil. Add the contents of the baked tomato pan from the oven and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the cream cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly stir the cream cheese into the soup. Garnish with chopped parsley. Yield: 12 hearty portions.