Soupy love: A Recipe

On some days, all you need is a mug full of hot, thick tomato soup to make you feel loved, comfortable, cared for and superbly cozy. And the best bit? The soup keeps well as well - so you can enjoy the soupy goodness day after day!

For days like those, here is my favourite tomato soup recipe -

Ingredients

• 4 big ripe tomatoes
• 2 big onions, chopped
• 2 medium size carrots, chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped
• 2 bay leaf
• Salt, as per your liking
• Pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Low fat fresh cream
• Water
• A pinch of sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

• Blanche tomatoes in boiling water
• To blanche tomatoes, bring a pot full of water to a rolling boil and drop the whole tomatoes into it, cover
• After 20 minutes, remove the lid, pour out the water and run under cold water
• Peel the tomatoes, the peel should already be shrinking off the tomatoes by now  
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan and on medium heat, saute onions, carrots, celery till onions are brown and veggies are soft
• Add bay leaf
• Chop the tomatoes into chunks and to the pan with veggies and let cook till they shrink in the pan and the juice flows
• Let cool
• Once sufficiently cooled, remove bay leaf and blend in a mixer till it becomes a smooth paste
• Add the paste back to pan

• Add water and make it as thick or thin as you like your soup to be
• Bring to a boil
• Add butter and cream
• Add pinch of sugar

• Let boil and bubble for a minute and turn off gas
• Serve hot with croutons

Enjoy soupy love!! :)