Incredibly delicious tomato soup straight from my garden!
Boiling veggies in a pressure cooker is best for soups. It shortens the cooking time and doesn't require any butter or oil. I didn't fried the veggies, I directly pressure cooked them as it's a healthy way to cook soup. This soup is versatile, healthy and tastes delicious even without all that oil and butter.
I chopped the veggies into small pieces and added them in the cooker. Than added salt, crush dried basil, water, and, pressure cooked for 2 whistles. This process retains all the color, nutrition and vegetables get perfectly steamed. Sure, this adds few more minutes to the soup but it's totally worth it!!!
Always remember to strain off the liquid, and set aside to add back into the soup later. Blend rest of the contents to the blender to make a smooth puree and return to cooker. Add in the strain water and fresh water, stir occasionally. Bring it to boil, and, reduce the heat for 25-30 minutes, or, until tomatoes have cooked down. Add sugar, oregano, and, season it with salt and pepper. Stir in some fresh cream and heat through. Transfer into the soup bowls and add a bit more cream. Serve hot with crispy croutons on top and enjoy!!
This soup always taste better the next day. If you make a large quantity of the soup, place it in the refrigerator and freeze it but don't add a lot of cream at once. You can also add cashew cream as it makes a wonderful vegan substitute for whipped cream.
GARDEN FRESH TOMATO SOUP
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Author: The Food Root
Ingredients
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 diced carrot
21/2 pound fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, plum and vine tomatoes)
3 cups - vegetable broth
1/2 cup - water
1 teaspoon salt or as per taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Directions
1. Throw in the tomatoes, carrots, garlic cloves and crushed dried basil in the pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Allow 2-3 whistles. Let the mixture cool for atleast 10 minutes.
4. Pass the tomato puree through the strainer, to remove the skin and seeds. (optional)
5. Return the puree into a pan. Add in the strain water and 1/2 cup water and stir occasionally. Bring it to boil, and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until tomatoes have cooked down.
6. Add sugar, oregano, and, season it with salt and pepper.
7. Stir in the few tablespoon of fresh cream over medium heat until you reach the desired texture.
8. Transfer tomato soup into medium bowls and garnish with cream. (You can avoid cream if you vegan)
9. Serve hot with crispy croutons on top and enjoy!!
7. Stir in the few tablespoon of fresh cream over medium heat until you reach the desired texture.
8. Transfer tomato soup into medium bowls and garnish with cream. (You can avoid cream if you vegan)
9. Serve hot with crispy croutons on top and enjoy!!
Croutons
You can make croutons at home in just 2 minutes. All you need is 4 slices of breads of your choice. Place them on the cutting board, cut them into 1 inch cube. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the seasoning. Add breads cubes into the pan and toss until they are lightly browned and crisp.
Notes
1. Always remember to strain off the liquid, and set aside to add back into the soup later.
2. Pureeing hot mixture in a blender can be dangerous so let it cool for atleast 7-8 minutes.
3. If you feel that your soup is watery you can add 2 tablespoon of rice
4. If you feel that it's thick you can add a little more water.
5. I also added a sugar and little cream to neutralize the tangy flavor of the tomatoes.
6. Cashew cream makes a wonderful vegan substitute for whipped cream.
7. If you want to make a large quantity of soup, you can place it in the refrigerator and freeze it, and, eat on another day.
8. If you are going to freeze the soup don't add a lot of cream at once.
