Easy tomato Soup

This soup cooks quick and tastes yumm! Good as a starter and any one will love it's taste.

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes

Servings: approx 6

 

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - 5 to 6 medium or 1 6oz can of tomato paste

2. Celery - 2 stalks

3. Garlic - 2 pods

4. Onion - 1 small or 1/2 medium

5. Basil Dry - 2 to 3 tsp. Use fresh if on hand, you will need a little more than 3 tsp.

6. Oil - 2 tsp

7. Water/Vegetable stalk - Please eye ball it on how thick or thin you like. to start with add less water/stalk.

8. Fat free milk - 1/4 cup

9. Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp

10. Salt - to taste

11. Ground Black pepper - to taste

Method:

1. heat oil in a pot on medium heat. 

2. Add dry basil and minced or grated garlic to it and saute for a few minutes. If using fresh basil you will want to add it after adding tomatoes.

3. Add chopped onions preferably red onions, some salt  and saute till it turns slightly golden brown.

4. Add celery and saute for two minutes.

5. Add tomatoes and let it sweat for a few minutes. If you use paste, add a little water and cook it for 2 minutes. 

6. add sufficient water and salt and cook till the mixture boils for two minutes.

7. Run the cooked soup through blender till smooth.

8. transfer it to the pot, add ground black pepper, sugar and milk and cook for two more minutes.

9. sprinkle a pinch of fresh or dry basil, soup is ready to eat.

Tips:

1. You can add sour cream/cream if you wish.

2. Croutons go exceptionally well with this soup. Just make sure you add less salt to the soup if adding croutons.
3. For a Smoother soup, you may filter it after blending it.
4. You may also add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of carrots. Just saute it after celery and continue with the steps.

Suggestions:

you may add red bell pepper to the above recipe. Just saute chopped red bell pepper after celery and continue the process. Roasted red bell pepper gives a deeper flavour. To roast a bell pepper, just do it on a stove top grill or hold it on the flames of the stove. After roasting it, put it in a closed container or wrap it in the foil till is is cool to touch. peel the skin off, chop and continue with the soup process. Roasted bell pepper is also available in markets.

Corn Jalapeno soup

This is a hot and sweet soup perfect for a rainy/cold day. It makes a good starter for a lunch/dinner menu.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: approx 6

Ingredients:

1. Frozen or fresh corn kernels - 2 cups

2. Jalapeno - 1 to 2 seeded.

3. Celery - 2 stalks

4. Potato - 1 medium or 2 small

5. Scallions/Spring onion - 1 bunch

6. Red Bell pepper - 1 medium

7. Salt - to taste

6. Ground black pepper - to taste

 7. water/vegetable stalk - approx 3 to 4 cups. Please eye ball it.

 8. Oil - 2 tsp

9. Oregano dry - 2tsp, use fresh if on hand.

10. Parsley - 2 tsp. Use fresh if on hand.

11. Garlic - 2 to 3 pods

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pot.

2. Add the dry herbs and garlic and saute for 15 seconds.

3. Add scallions/spring onions and saute till they sweat. If you do not have scallions on hand use 1 small or half a medium onion. save a little green parts of scallion/spring onions for garnish later.

4. Add the potato pieces and saute for a few minutes by adding a little salt. This helps bring out moisture from the potatoes.

5. Add celery and bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes.

6. Add corn 1 1/2 cups and saute for a few minutes, add water/stalk and cook it till potatoes become tender. this may take upto 10 to 15 minutes. Save 1/2 cup corn for later.

7.  After everything gets cooked, blend all  the soup in a blender.

8. Heat the soup again adding desired amount of salt and ground black pepper. add the saved corn and cook for upto 5 minutes. 

9. Add the saved scallions/spring onions and soup is ready to eat.

Tips:

1. You can add some sour cream to the soup if you wish. It gives more creamy texture.

2. You can retain a few seeds of jalapeno, please remember just a few seeds go a long way.

3. Filter the soup if you don't like the corn kernel skin.