Tomato Bread Soup

Its hard to believe that its 2009, already. But here we are, and let me wish you, my readers and your loved ones, a happy and successful new year. I am back from my time off, and what a vacation it was. The sights, sounds and the FOOD were unbelievably good. I wish it had never ended, but all good things do.

Nevertheless, its good to be back. And, I am starting the year on a high note and jubilance. My entry to the last edition of DMBLGiT was announced a winner in the ‘Originality’ category. I am honored and humbled, and would like to thank the judges and the host, Arfi Binsted, who herself is an articulate photographer.

Talking of photography events, Click is back after a brief hiatus. I have been invited by Bee and Jai to be on the judges’ panel this month, which is always a pleasure. This month’s theme is Red.

Finally, I have received all your entries for My Legume Love Affair, sixth helping. I will be back with the roundup of entries shortly. I am yet to announce the prize for this edition. One of you will be announced the winner. Stay tuned.

Now that things are taken care of, let me leave you with a simple, warming bowl of soup. After weeks of eating out, we craved for simple home cooked meals. There wasn’t anything in my fridge, but my freezer was loaded with days worth of food. Rotis, parathas, burger patties, kofta, and what not. I also dice, blanch and freeze left-over vegetables or greens, if I am off for a few days. You will also never find me wasting a good piece of bread. Being a bread addict, I find it to be a crime. I freeze the left over bread slices, even the heel, in a zip top bag. They come handy, when you want to make a filling, fresh bread crumbs, etc. I find home made breadcrumbs the best, because each bread has a unique flavour, which adds to the taste of the final dish.

In this recipe, leftover bread cubes find their way into a delicious bowl of soup. I have used Roma tomatoes, which can be found year round. Stale bread, couple of tomatoes, and little seasoning – quick meal for those lazy days.

Tomato bread Soup
(serves 2)

Ingredients

Bread– about 3 cups, cubed
Shallots or red onions – ½ cup, chopped
Garlic – 1 clove, minced
Red pepper flakes – a pinch
Tomato – 3, chopped
Parsley or cilantro – a handful
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt
Pepper

Hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino for garnish (omit for a vegan version)

Method

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Gently sauté shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes until soft. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook till mushy. Take away from heat, throw in parsley and blend the vegetable mixture till smooth. Return to heat, add 2 cups of water, bring to boil. Add cubed bread and continue to cook until the bread has soaked up the juices. Add more water if necessary. The bread would soften and fall apart. Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, garnish with cheese, and serve with a crack of black pepper. I also drizzled mine with basil-infused oil. It’s a great way to enjoy basil even in winter.

17 comments:

amna said...

Why does the entire pic look blurred? Or is it my eyes? :O

Raaga said...

happy new year :-) I like tomato soup with hidden pieces of bread :-)

indosungod said...

Congratulations Suganya! That is a beautifully stunning photograph.

Happy New Year! to you.

Anonymous said...

I like the bread soup which they serve in Johnny Carinos. This one looks very similar, so simple but delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah.. Congrats! your pictures are always extraordinarily beautiful.

Cilantro said...

Delicious soup Suganya, Good idea to finish up the leftover bread...and do we toast the bread or just add them to the soup?

Meeta K. Wolff said...

congrats sug! loved that pic! also love the sound of this soup!

Varsha Vipins said...

Thats a lovely dish..perfect for the weather..:)

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I like the way you keep the bread cubes in the soup. I thought they were going to be made into crumbs or something. It must add wonderful texture.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Oops. I forgot to say Way to go! on winning DMBLGIT. It's well deserved.

Nirmala said...

What a coincidence ? I too made a tomato soup yesterday but had thm with toasted bread slices. The winter chillness is still there and the family enjoyed the hot soup with losa freshly-ground pepper! Adding bread slices to the bowl would really make it a complete meal! Lovely soup Suganya! And congrats for winning DMGLIT!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Congratulations Suganya. The composition of your picture is eye-catching.

The soup looks delicious, but I'd rather have just the bread as I don't like soup very much.:)

Rathna said...

Your soup tastes yum! Tried and tasted. :-)
Congratulations on winning DMBLGIT . That's a wonderful picture.

Miri said...

I am a bread saver too! This is an excellent recipe to use up good bread- thanks! and wish you a very Happy New Year!

Raji

Sabina said...

Love this!!

KonkaniBlogger said...

This is a wonderful and simple soup..I will try it soon.

Anonymous said...

Suganya, I made this & posted for T&T this month! Thanks!

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