Tomato Basil Soup

Soups are comfort food for many of us and nothing can beat that. A rainy season, a cold evening , a day spent on bed feeling sick  - that's exactly when a cup of piping hot soup does not fail to soothe you. Even if it weren't for all these different moods, I love taking in a huge bowl of yummy soup along with my favorite flavored bread for a very healthy and filling dinner.

Aromas cafe in Mumbai is one of my favorite places not for the coffee they serve but for their wide variety of entree and soups. Every time I step in there, I have to order their tomato basil soup and chicken satay ,otherwise they would feel left out. ;) .So I have been wanting to replicate that tomato basil soup for quite sometime. Last weekend was when I got around to it and made the soup along with garlic pull apart rolls for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed them :)

Oh and I almost forgot to mention the argument me and S had before clicking this picture. I don't have a very photogenic soup bowl in my collection yet and we had to really explore crockery options for this. I was strictly for using a white bowl which would really enhance the bright orange color of the soup , but S was quite sure this huge coffee mug would be attractive too. And the verdict? - I don't think this crockery did justice to the soup , and look at that basil tree sitting inside the coffee mug , not my idea people! :). I got my way eventually , we have a click saved with the same soup in a white bowl , but I am saving that pic for when I show you the awesome recipe for garlic pull apart bread.So we shall take a poll then to see whose side you are on OK? ;)

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients

Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoors Tomato soup

Serves - 2 [large servings]
Prep Time - 5 min
Cook time - 20 min

Tomatoes - 8 quartered
Basil Leaves - 3-4 + 2 [chopped thinly]
Onion - 1 medium sized , sliced thinly
Carrot - 1 medium length , sliced thinly
Garlic cloves - 4 chopped well
Bay leaf - 1
Pepper corns - 6
Oil - 1/2 Tsp
Butter - 1 Tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 Tsp
Crushed pepper corns - for seasoning
Salt - for  seasoning
Water - 3 cups

How do you do it

Heat a pan with the oil and butter. Once butter melts add bay leaf.After a few seconds add the onions , pepper corns and saute till the onions are translucent [it should not brown]. Add in the garlic cloves and carrot slices and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add the tomato pieces , basil leaves and saute for a couple of more minutes. Add in 3 cups of water and bring to boil. Cover with lid and let it cook in medium flame for 10-15 minutes. Once done drain the water and reserve it. Discard the peppercorns and bay-leaf. Allow the rest to cool. Once cooled, blend the mixture along with some reserved water into a smooth puree.Pass this through a sieve and press the puree well to get all the liquid from it.

Bring this soup liquid to a boil again and add in the reserved water to adjust consistency of soup.Add 1/2 tsp sugar and chopped basil leaves and stir well. Season with required salt and crushed pepper.

Serve with your favorite starter/choice of bread. :)
 
 Notes

To make it creamy, you can add in 1/4 cup cream or 1/2 cup milk and let it thicken on low flame

If you have added too much reserved water  by mistake, you can mix few tbsp of corn-flour with water and add it to the soup and boil it on low flame until it thickens

You can skip the basil if you don't have them and just follow the same recipe to make tomato soup.
 

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