Tomato Soup with a hint of Garlic

There are few things better than rich tomato soup on a cold day. Growing up, Ma would make regularly for us a big batch of her version with tons of pepper..Dad was then posted in Dharamshala and she had to deal with two kids with perpetual runny noses in winters. As the temperature fell, she would take out this huge soup pot and concoct a batch that was oh so warming…Well but here Mr. A is allergic of pepper and goes into a sneezing marathon if there is any form of pepper in the food so we kinda avoid..I came up with this desi version with butter, cloves and garlic and sometimes I would add fresh basil leaves for another flavour dimension… As for the actual soup, it only takes about 35 minutes and is quite simple to pull together. And when served with some crusty bread for dunking? It is a perfect way to welcome winters and the start of soup season!

Ingredients
For the Tomato Paste

3 large Tomatoes

4 cloves of Garlic

For the Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt to taste

Chopped fresh basil, for serving

Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions
For the tomato paste:

In a pressure cooker, take the quartered tomatoes, add the cloves and salt as per your taste and half cup of water and cook for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release and then let the mixture cool down and then blend, strain and keep aside

For the Soup:

Then, add the butter to a large stockpot set over medium heat. When hot, add in the garlic, onion and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, until tender. Stir in the tomato paste. Add oregano and pepper if you wish to. Mix to combine then bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue simmering for about 15 to 20 minutes, to allow the flavours to meld. Remove from the heat.

You can either blend the soup or just serve it instantly if you don’t care much about the bits garlic in there. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with toasted oats and bread on the side for dipping.

Hope this soup keeps you warm this winter…look forward to more of my soup recipes up on my bellydriven kitchen section…