Tomato Soup

Red, red, delicious and provoking red. What's better than a delicious red tomato soup? So easy to make, full of vitamins, healthy and filling, and above all: dellliiicciouss!

Not much to add to introduce you to one of the easiest soup recipes I've ever made (except chicken-ginger soup). All you need are some tomatoes, tomato paste for that extra rich texture, some herbs and sour cream. If you want you can add some Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, I prefer Mozzarella, and some fresh basil leaves to decorate. Lovely!

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 5 or 6 big red tomatoes (around 1 kg - 2 lbs)
• 8 - 10 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 leek (chopped)
• 1/2 red Paprika (diced)
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 4 - 6 tsp sour cream
• 1 ball Mozzarella cheese (diced)
• Salt, pepper, garlic for seasoning
• Your preferred herbs: Parsley, Cilantro (or Coriander leaves), Oregano and/or Basil (I used all!)
• 1/2 to 1 lt. water

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes in quarters (cut in halves and then again in halves). Cut the paprika in dices.

In a sauce pan, heat the Olive oil, and add the chopped leek and the paprika. Stir until leek is softened.

Add the tomatoes and mix all well. Then add 2 or 3 glasses of water and stir well. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and let it boil for 5 to 10 minutes.

When you notice the tomatoes are soft, add the tomato paste and mix everything well. Add more water if needed or if you want a lighter soup.

Add the seasoning to your taste. If the soup its slightly sour, you can add 2 tsp sugar and mix. Cover with the lid and let it boil and cook for 5 more minutes. You will notice the soup is ready when you see the tomatoes almost dissolving and the soup begins to get more creamy.

Remove from the heat. Add the chopped herbs. At this point you can decide to serve it as it is (with some bigger pieces of tomato and paprika) or you can make a smooth cream using your blender, but please be careful with hot liquids! (better if you have a Stab-mixer, if not, blend by portions and never forget to cover your normal blender!)

Serve and decorate with fresh basil, sour cream and mozzarella.

Enjoy!