• Smoky Tomato Soup•

Warm and pungent spices, onions and smoky chiles make this soup excellent for warming your body.

SERVES 4

  • ½ cup minced fresh onions

  • ½ cup finely chopped carrots 

  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

  • 1 teaspoon chopped chipotles in adobo sauce

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 1 cup tomato puree

  • 1 cups finely chopped fresh tomatoes

  • 2 cups vegetable stock

  • ¼ cup thin strips of fresh basil, plus more for garnish

  • ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat a medium soup pot over heat. Put in the onions, carrots, and oil, tossing to coat the vegetables. Cover and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Uncover, stir in the cumin and garlic, and raise the heat to medium. Let the spices bloom for 2 to 3 minutes.

  2. Stir in the chipotles, tomato paste, and tomato puree. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes.

  3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in an upright blender. If using an upright blender, avoid a blowout by slightly cooling the soup and partially removing the center lid of the blender. Puree the soup until it is super smooth.

  4. Pour the soup back into the pot (if you used an upright blender) stir in the basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with more basil.

OPTIONS:

To make the soup more substantial, fold in 1 cup cooked brown basmati rice.