ARTICHOKE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms. Cook and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken broth, artichoke hearts, bay leaf, salt, pepper, thyme leaves, oregano leaves, sage, and paprika. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Beat whipping cream in a bowl on medium-high speed until frothy; fold into soup and continue to cook until soup is heated through (do not boil).
• Remove and discard the bay leaf, then pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.