Cream of Tomato Soup

For me tomato soup is one of the best comfort dishes. The sight, the smell bring up the sweet golden memories of our frequent restaurant visits... waiting for bowl of lukewarm orange-red soup and crunchy bread croutons. I don't think I have ever tasted it, I never could get past the smell...
So, today I thought to rejoice those memories again. Some of my friends use canned tomato for making soup. But for me they seemed to be edible within the confines of bomb shelter. It's great, rich in flavour and healthy when you go for a homemade version. You can make it in about the time it takes to heat a canned version.
I prefer using extremely ripe tomatoes (not over-ripe) for making soup.

Ingredients:

4 ripe tomatoes (cut into large chunks)
1 carrot (chopped)
1/2 cup onions ( chopped)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup bell pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup skimmed milk
2 tsp melted butter
Salt and pepper (Adjust seasoning to taste)

Method:

Heat 1 tsp butter in a deep pan. Add chopped onions, tomatoes, bell pepper and garlic. Saute till tomatoes turns soft. Keep aside and let it cool for sometime. Now, blend the mixture until smooth.
In the same pan, heat remaining butter and add the all-purpose flour. Saute for few seconds. Now, slowly add blended mixture and stir continuously so that no lumps are formed. Add dried basil and milk. Simmer until the desired consistency is achieved. Adjust the seasonings

Garnish with bread croutons, shredded cheese or crackers.