Cooking : Artichoke Soup

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and cut into fourths
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 dash paprika
1 cup whipping cream

Directions
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.