“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day. Unless you are too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.” – Old Zen Adage
It has been sunny for the past few weeks which is unusual because it tends to rain here so much all year round. It was a beautiful summer morning in Vancouver today, we woke up to the sound of two pigeons cooing on our patio! Anup is a morning person and he generally is the first one to get out of bed and make our morning tea. What a sweet hubby! I am not the princess type, but if you saw us in the morning you would think I was the queen! I have to be coaxed out of the bed. The aromas of mint and ginger tea on the stove definitely helps.
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So we had our morning tea and breakfast and spent a little over an hour at the gym. I had bought these beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the farmer’s market and I was excited to wrap up my daily ritual so I can get back in my kitchen to make Tomato Soup with Gluten-free Corn Bread.
I roasted my tomatoes in the oven, I love how roasting tomatoes create this concentrated and intense flavor. I tend to do this in many dishes where I want the rich tomato flavor without all that juice. The soup turned out great, and I got my bread out of the oven. I was excited to picture the dish and put it on the blog. I sliced the bread and that was when the birds stopped chirping and the sunny day turned darker. My bread was still soft from the inside and not something I could pair with a soup – welcome to the gloomy side of food blogging.
While my blog might have you believe that I am floating around in my kitchen in a zen-like state drawing positive energy from the universe, in reality, food blogging can sometimes be a frustrating process. There, I said it. So here is my Tomato Soup without my gluten-free cornbread. This is one of the easiest soups to make and it’s a crowd pleaser! Stay tuned for the vegan, gluten-free bread!
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Tomato Soup
Cook time:
Recipe:
Roasted Tomato Soup
(serves 4-6)
4 pounds ripe heirloom/cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of galic – peeled & chopped
one big bunch of basil leaves and stems chopped separately
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of red chilli flakes
1 cup of water/vegetable stock
salt and pepper
handful of toasted almonds/pine nuts to garnish
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prick tomatoes with a knife and toss them in a big roasting pan with 2 tbsp olive oil, basil stems, salt and pepper. Put them in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes until juices start coming out of the tomatoes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a big pot. Add chopped garlic, basil leaves and chilli flakes. Cook on low heat until soft and fragrant. Now add roasted tomatoes with all the juices and basil stems. Add 1 cup of water and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until tomatoes get soft. Break the tomatoes with a spatula if you like your tomato soup chunky. If you prefer your soup smooth, purée in a blender once the mixture is cool enough to handle. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and pine nuts/almonds. Serve hot or cold.
i dont even want to t hink about soup right now (its 105F right now)…but those tomatoes look so delicious, roasting tomatoes and basil is always a great idea.
I hear you on the kitchen fails – I’ve had one too many to list. Somehow these ideas make all the sense in our heads – dont they!
The soup looks great – but I like mine smooth..
those tomatoes look gorgeous!
Thanks Archana. Yes, that bread was the best bread ever in my head 🙂
I LOVE the sound of this soup and the pictures are stunning, as always.
Glad to hear it’s not just me messing up bread, but now I can’t wait to see your gf loaf when it comes out just right.
Kimberly
Thanks Kimberly!
Hi Medha! I love reading your blogs. And even this simple recipe has amazed me with good photographs and your curation. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Tara!
I looove roasted tomato soup! One of the best summer meals. Oh and food blogger real talk… It’s definitely not all about creating wonderful pieces to put on one’s blog (at least not for me), but much about trial and error. Can’t wait for that gf bread recipe though 🙂
Glad to know I am not the only one! Yes, this soup did surprise me. When you have good produce, even dishes made simply can be amazing!
That shot of all of the colorful tomatoes, wow! So gorgeous. Your photography is really stunning. And you make a good soup, too! I have lot’s of tomatoes and basil in the garden now, so I might try this tonight.
Thanks Kristie! I hope you do try it!