Friday, December 03, 2010

December’s Favorite – Clear Tomato Soup

December is one month we should all take advantage of Nature's bounty in baskets of red tomatoes everywhere.

IMG_3377_1 But you will need only four large hothouse tomatoes for four cups of this Clear Tomato Soup. A delightful soul food I have grown up on. I don’t garnish the clear broth of tomato with croutons or elaborate herbs if I am drinking it straight from a cup, but if you do want to dress it up, I suggest herbs like fresh basil or even the humble coriander to be added only when you turn the heat off on the soup.

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Ingredients for Clear Tomato Soup are:

4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, washed and quartered
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
2 beets (optional), halved
3-4 fat cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt

In a pressure cooker, toss in the tomatoes, garlic, beets, onion, pepper powder, sugar and salt. Add four-five cups of water. (I add the beets for an extra red color to my broth, if you don’t have them, omit them from your recipe.)

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Cook till three-four whistles go off. Don’t rush opening the pressure cooker, let all the steam release on its own. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook the tomatoes in a stockpot with a tight lid on medium heat for about 20 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy.

Sieve the broth on a larger bowl, mashing the tomato mixture with a ladle to strain all the juices out. IMG_3400_1 Check the seasoning, and adjust accordingly. Stir in a little butter and pour into mugs or soup bowls. Serve hot.

IMG_3403_1IMG_3402_1These mugs of Clear Tomato Soup are perfect for a cold snap. Let it snow then, my hands and soul will remain warm thus.

9 comments:

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

perfect for the chill here....
Yum! love the color!

Satrupa said...

Such a hearty soup .... gr8 on a cold eve :)

Kuntala said...

I am going to make this soup now Pree. Thanks!

sangeeta said...

Soup with just the tomatoes is a favorite at our place too .

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

thandar perfect soup.

Rajni said...

This looks very easy....will make it for sure..please post some more easy clear soup recipes..thanks a ton :)

Priya Suresh said...

Very inviting clear soup..yumm!

aipi said...

Sounds like a delicious, comforting soup on a cold day..beautiful pictures!


US Masala

My Unfinished Life said...

wow..this seems so easy!!!