Sunday Supper: Spicy Tomato Soup

Every home cook has their arsenal, mine is making something out of nothing - I am, literally, the Queen of this. Open the fridge, look in and figure it out. I finally got that nasty cold that was going around the restaurant, and on Sunday I woke up with the sniffles and a sore throat. 

All I wanted was soup -hot, spicy soup to coat my throat and clear up my congestion. I gathered my energy and went to the kitchen, and then I remembered we needed to go to the market - I literally had the tail end of last weeks groceries, and zero energy to go to leave the house. 

A pint of cherry tomatoes that were starting to wilt, one shallot, garlic, leftover focaccia bread, and luckily I had defrosted some chicken the day before. The usual chicken soup was not going to happen today. No noodles in the house, no carrot, no celery, no nada really. 

What did happen,  was a spicy tomato soup - that I easily made in 20 minutes, even while taking a few pictures to share with you. And of course, it was amazing - really it was.

The Recipe

• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 pint of stock, I used home made chicken I had in the freezer luckily
• 4 Tablespoons of garlic oil
• 2 Tablespoons of dried Italian herbs
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper chili flakes
• 2 Tablespoons of catchup - or you could use tomato paste, but this is what I had on hand
• 2 dashes of worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Vignalta Sea Salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan combine the shallots, herbs and seasonings, with the oil and halved tomatoes
2. When the shallots become translucent, use a potato masher to "mash" the tomatoes
3. Cover the mixture with stock and bring to a rolling boil for about 3 minutes
4. Add the catsup and worcestershire sauce
5. Carefully blend the soup, smooth
6. Add in the milk
7. Taste, adjust with salt and pepper - if needed

I garnished mine with scallions, focaccia croutons, and garlic oil. You should use whatever you like, or have on hand.

I served mine with an open face chicken sandwich - if I had any cheese, a grilled cheese would have happened for sure.