2 tbsp. butter
1 lg. onion, peeled & thinly sliced
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped
1 (28 oz.) can peeled Italian plum tomatoes
3 c. defatted chicken broth
1 sm. boiling potato, peeled & thinly sliced
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried basil)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Salt (to taste)
1 c. milk

Melt butter in a soup pot over low heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, covered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and wilted.

Crush tomatoes in their liquid and add to the pot along with the chicken broth, potato, basil, nutmeg and salt. Let cool to room temperature.

Puree in a blender, in small batches, adding a bit of milk to each batch. Return to soup pot and warm through over very low heat. Do not boil. Serves 6.