The weather is starting to take a turn, and it’s debatable whether it’s for better or worse. There is a definite bright side, and it’s not the skies: it’s soup season. Right when you’ve started unrolling your blankets, and reminiscing about fire places, that’s the time to stick a pot on the stove top.
I think everyone has a memory of tomato soup warming them up from the inside out. Tomato soup is one of those comfort food classics, that like coke, doesn’t need a new formula.
Tomato soup + me + spoon = happy.
That’s why I took the liberty with this recipe to not reinvent the wheel that’s been rolling smoothly; instead I played with it just a touch. While making this soup I couldn’t help but think about matbucha, the tomato based salad Jews have been drowning their challah in for generations throughout the Middle East. Its acidic touch of lemon and hint of cumin is what makes the salad so popular among noshers of all ages.
I added some lemon juice and spices similar to the ones found in matbucha, and some sweet peppers to give it a touch of unexpected flavor that’ll warm you up like an Indian summer.
Ingredients
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 medium purple onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 hot pepper, diced (optional)
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
5 plum tomatoes, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
3 cups of tomato juice
3 cups of boiling water
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/2 cup of cooked wild rice
Directions
Toast cumin and paprika in large pot on medium heat until fragrant, about three minutes.
Add olive oil and lemon juice to the pot and cook for one minute. Once they are hot, stir in the onion, garlic, and hot pepper if you are using it.
Let your onion mix cook for about 6 minutes or until the onions become translucent.
Mix in your sugar, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. Let them cook for about 6 minutes. They should be done when the tomatoes and peppers have softened slightly.
Add tomato juice and water to the pot. Bring soup to a slow boil. Lower the heat to medium and let it cook uncovered for 40 minutes.
Fill bowls with a few spoonfuls of rice and then ladle soup over it.
challah
Pronounced: KHAH-luh, Origin: Hebrew, ceremonial bread eaten on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
