How to Make Tomato Soup

You can get 40 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement from a single tomato. Plus, it is also rich in potassium, vitamin A, and antioxidants such as lycopene.

Lycopene is not produced in the human body, hence it is essential to get it from dietary sources. It has been scientifically proven that consuming tomatoes reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, because of the lycopene content in the vegetable.

And another interesting point is that it has been shown that lycopene is absorbed more efficiently by the body when the tomato is cooked or processed, and not when it is consumed raw.

Hence, here are a few recipes that will not only delight your taste buds, but also give you the health benefits you need:

- ½ oz. sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 or 3 bay leaves
- 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
- 1-2 tsp. powder of vegetable stock
- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped (or 1 to 2 tsp dried basil)
- 4 to 5 oz. Cream

♨ How to Make ♨

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion, carrot, garlic and celery for five minutes. If you are using dried basil, put it in now. Then, add the potato and continue sautéing a little more. When the potatoes begin sticking in the pan, add the fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and bay leaves.

Then add enough stock or water so that it just covers the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook until the vegetables get tender, say about for half an hour.

Then, remove the bay leaves, and blend the soup into a smooth consistency. To get the desired consistency, add more water and cream. Season the soup according to taste. Remember, the soup must not be boiled once the cream or milk is added.

This soup is very delicious even without the cream or milk. You can just add some more water. Stir some of the freshly chopped basil into the soup, and sprinkle the rest of it as garnish.

- ¼ cup fresh cilantro and parsley, chopped
- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 to 4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp. chilled water
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Seasoning, according to taste

♨ How to Make ♨

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until you get a smooth consistency. Sieve the pureed vegetables. Place the soup in the refrigerator and chill thoroughly. The basic soup is pretty simple and easy to make. However, coupled with a nice garnish, this soup can taste even better.

To make garnish, mix 4 oz. cooked diced lobster tail, 1 tsp. each of finely chopped cucumber, red pepper and chives, 1 tsp. sour cream and a few chervil leaves together. Add seasoning to taste.

To serve, pour the soup into soup bowls. Drizzle some extra virgin oil on the soup. Then place the garnish in little mounds, about a teaspoonful each, into each bowl of soup. Also add a small chervil leaf in each. Although it is easier to consume finely chopped leaves (be it chervil or cilantro or anything else) the whole leaf looks better as garnishing.

- 1 lb. medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 7 cups chicken stock, simmered for 5-10 minutes with shrimp shell
- 1 tbsp. Asian chili-garlic sauce (or according to taste)
- 2 tbsp. Asian fish sauce (or according to taste)

- 1 cup green onions, thinly sliced, diagonally
- 2 tsp. hot pepper sesame oil (or according to taste)
- ½ cup cilantro
- 3 tbsp. garlic, sliced and deep-fried

♨ How to Make ♨

Put the noodles in a bowl of warm water, and let it soak until it softens, say for about 20-25 minutes. Drain the water out, and placing the noodles on a cutting board, cut through them lengthwise and crosswise, until you are left with roughly 4-inch pieces of noodles.

Strain the shrimp shells from the stock, then heat it until it begins to boil. Stir in the tomatoes along with the juices, green onions, chili-garlic sauce, fish sauce, and hot sesame oil. Add the shrimp and noodles and simmer for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour into warm soup bowls and garnish with the crisp garlic and cilantro. A pleasant twist in the garnishing would be to use some mint leaves instead of, or along with cilantro.

- 3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
- ½ tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
- 1 tbsp. butter, unsalted
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup cream
- fresh juice of lemon, according to taste

For Jalapeno Cream:
- 3 fresh jalapeno chilies, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 large sized garlic clove, mashed with ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup sour cream

♨ How to Make ♨

First, take two baking pans and line them with foil. Put the tomatoes, skin side down, in a single layer in one of the pans, and put the garlic in the other pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and both the garlic and the tomatoes for about an hour, or until the tomatoes soften and their skin turns dark brown.

Remove both the garlic and the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool. Then take a heavy saucepan and place on moderate heat. Add the butter, salt and pepper to taste, and cook the oregano and shallot in this, stirring constantly, until the shallot softens.

Then, add the tomatoes and garlic (with the skin removed), along with 1½ cups of broth. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender until smooth, and strain it through a sieve. Whisk the cream in, adding more broth if required. Then add lemon juice, and salt and pepper according to taste.

For Jalapeno cream:
Blend together the jalapeno chilies, garlic paste, and the sour cream in a blender, making sure not to over-blend it, or it may result in the cream curdling. Then sieve the cream. Pour the soup in soup bowls, and drizzle some of the jalapeno cream over each bowl of soup.

- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp. each cumin and coriander powder
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ½ cup canned coconut milk, unsweetened (or milk)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp. honey
- ¼ cup roasted cashew nuts
- 4 tsp. fresh cilantro

♨ How to Make ♨

Heat oil in a heavy pan, over medium heat. Then add the onions and stir fry for a minute or two. Then, add the garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander, and continue stirring, until the onions soften and become translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.

Now, add the broth, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and honey, and bring to boil. After that, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Now, remove from heat, and allow the soup to cool. Blend it in a blender until it obtains a smooth consistency.

Use a sieve to strain it, and then put it back into the pan and reheat. Stir in the coconut milk, add some salt, and simmer for a few minutes. To serve, pour into soup bowls. Top each soup bowl with a dollop of fresh yogurt, cilantro, and cashew nuts. You may even use walnuts instead of cashew nuts if you prefer.

Soups are a good option for those hunger pangs that you get at odd times of the day - when you would otherwise tend to snack on something. Apart from that, soups go well with different types of cuisines, as well as with different types of dishes, from pastas to salads.