Carrot and Tomato Soup

What is this?! The Soup Show?!?

I know, I know. My soup recipes are getting out of control. But Amsterdam is such a “soup-y” place. When there’s a chill in the air and you’re wrapped up, sometimes soup for lunch is the only thing that will warm you up. Plus, there is a cute cafe here that Scott and I go to regularly that sells huge steaming bowls of soup with corn bread and I’m always wanting to recreate that amazing-ness at home.

There is just something so comforting about homemade soup in the winter. I recently tried some tinned soup for the first time in years (I used to live off it during my uni days) and I couldn’t believe how synthetic and fake it tasted. Not to mention watery. So disappointing.And the crazy thing is, it is so simple to make your own soup. It’s almost like making baby food. Throw a load of tasty and nutritious things in a pan, boil them up and then blend them. Mmmm adult baby food.

Tomato soup has always been one of my favourites, but it can become quite boring unless it’s accompanied by thick bread slathered in butter or some cheese on toast. This version of carrot and tomato soup has an added sweetness from the carrots, but it’s still rich and thick, without being sickly.

And it’s been the perfect thing to eat while Scott and I plan our Christmas festivities. I know it’s only Halloween, but we both love the festive period so much, we try and stretch it out as long as we can. Which usually involves visits to some European Christmas markets, and this year is no exception. So while we’ve been deliberating over where to go in Germany this year, which trains to book and how to get the Basset on a train without her trying to wrangle strokes from every passer-by, we’ve been slurping on thick, hearty soups like this one. And I don’t regret a thing.

Carrot and Tomato Soup

Recipe by Julia

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2 onions, chopped

• 2 celery sticks, chopped

• 2.8 lb (1¼kg) carrots, sliced

• 1/2 lb (250g) floury potatoes, diced

• 18oz (500g) passata

• 1.5lb (750g) cherry tomatoes

• 2 vegetable stock cubes

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 9 floz (250ml) milk

Directions

• Add the oil, onions and celery to a large saucepan and cook until softened. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for a few minutes before adding all of the remaining ingredients, except the milk. Tip 1 litre (35 floz) of water into the pan, bring to a simmer and then cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
• Transfer batches of the soup to a blender and pulse until smooth.
• Return the soup back to the pan, stir in the milk and any seasoning and re-heat to warm through. Serve.

Notes

• Can be transferred to an airtight container and either chilled in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.