But now I've finally taken the step and made a big pot of fresh, flavourful, spicy tomato soup, and I just can't stop eating a spoonful now and then, hours after dinner. It is nothing at all like store bought instant soup, so much I wouldn't even say it's the same thing. It's almost as easy to make, but has so much more flavour in it, and feels more like a complete meal with its slightly chunky texture.
Random picture of tomato soup, ruthlessly stolen from the internet to make this post a bit more lively!
Here is my very simple recipe, adapted from what I learned from my mother in law when I last visited:
Ingredients:
- 3 cans of peeled and chopped tomatoes
- 1 litre of water
- 2 stock cubes
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- butter
- 1 tbls flour
- 2 tbls sugar
- 1 tbls tomato paste
- Enough milk or cream
- herbs and spices to your taste
Method
Wash and peel the vegetables. Chop the onion and the celery, grate the carrot and the garlic. Sauté the onion in butter in a big pot until a bit softened, add the other vegetables and sauté until everything is soft and golden.
Add the tomato paste and the sugar, letting the sugar caramelize and the tomato paste loose some of it's bitterness before you add the flour and stir it in. Add chopped tomatoes, water and stock cubes. I used one stock cube with vegetables and one with herbs, but you could use anything.
I use a hand blender to make it a bit smoother at this point, but it is not necessary. Taste the soup and season to your liking, and add enough milk or cream until it is mild enough for your taste. Oregano, thyme, Provence spices or parsley could all be good in this soup I think, use what you have.
Bring it to a boil, and that's that! Simply serve it in big bowls with some good bread, or you could add some cooked macaroni and a hard boiled egg to each bowl. Enjoy this heart-warming soup!
~Ana
