Baked Bean Soup

I made this soup on Sunday evening after my daughter and I came back from visiting a friend of hers in Pennsylvania who just had her second child at 26. The friend looked completely exhausted, as did her husband. I wanted to buy them an on site grandmother to take care of the one year old, but had to make do with dinner on Saturday night and lunch after church on Sunday.
The baked beans had been in the freezer left over from Baked Beans II, just waiting to be made into baked bean soup. For some reason, I chose Sunday night to remember my vows to make two recipes four times a week for 39 weeks to get finished with the Northeast. If you have been a faithful reader, you will notice that this schedule was never adhered to, but most months I was better about cranking out recipes than I have been this March.
When I set out to make the soup, I thought mistakenly that the whole thing went into the blender. I didn't find out differently until I got to step 2, which was to put the canned tomatoes into the blender. I probably would have minced the onion instead of just chopping it had I been aware. It was a red onion anyway, which my husband prefers for salad. He did the shopping this weekend because I was in Pa. and forgot to buy onions. The red onion worked fine, and larger pieced did not distract.
The beans sort of disintegrate in the cooking so this is more of a French style blended soup than you would think. One could use canned baked beans if one wished, not desiring to go through the whole rigamarole of baking beans. About the half clove of garlic. Pu-lease. Use a whole one. Use two. Whatever.

Baked Bean Soup

2 cups cold baked beans
2 medium-size onions, minced
1/2 clove of garlic
4 cups cold water
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the beans, onions, garlic and water in a saucepan and simmer about thirty minutes.
2. Heat the tomatoes, put through an electric blender or food mill and add to the bean mixture.
3. Mix the flour and butter together and add a little of the hot soup. Return all to the pan and cook, stirring, until soup thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped