Hampore Soup Season
Michelle Phetlhe | Monday May 30, 2022 08:21
It just didn’t quite do it for me. I couldn’t stand it with what seemed like salty water in a cup with slightly hydrated once dried vegetables. Ne go sa wele. Ha ke setse ke le motona, I slowly became able to appreciate that food is a beautiful journey that sometimes just requires one to try something a couple of times to become acquainted. I reconnected and rediscovered soup one chilly winter as a full-fledged adult, no shame. It’s never too late to learn, gape Motswana o rile thuto ga e golelwe. I believe my first attempt at making soup with fresh ingredients was a chicken soup. It was so good we had so much of it that winter. Tomato soup is one other common soup. I ordered it at a lunch date with fellow Hip Hop wife Neo and it was served with a grilled cheese sandwich. I was more than convinced after one spoon.
I didn’t know what to expect honestly as we all know how bitter or one-dimensional a tomato can be. Imagining a pureed bowl of them was daunting. After enjoying the soup, I came home to do some research on tomato soup specifically. What were all the other flavours? How were these flavours infused into the bowl of deliciousness? One thing I was certain of was that I could likely make a bowl with ingredients available in the house. Many-a-time when I read up on recipes, I become prompted to try them immediately. Safe to say this is my next most favourite soup. It comes in handy when I’m feeling lazy to make a whole meal.
I have it with toast, a grilled cheese sandwich or on its own. Serame se se ridiculous already! Cold front ya maloba yone ke sa bue. Soup was a no brainer for the few evenings the weather was unbearable. Tomato soup is a soup with tomatoes as the primary ingredient. It can be served hot or cold, and may be made in a variety of ways. It may be smooth in texture, and there are also recipes that include chunks of tomato, cream, chicken or vegetable stock, vermicelli, chunks of other vegetables and meatballs. My simple homemade tomato soup is quick, easy, and insanely delicious. I used canned tomatoes and it turned out excellent. But you can also use fresh tomatoes. I was quite drawn to a new canned Mexican salsa in the store and so I bought it with the intention to use it as the base to my tomato soup. It’s sometimes a little hard finding ready to eat perfectly ripe tomatoes as of recent, and so I encourage exploring more and more options.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, cut into large wedges
1 can tomatoes, we prefer to use whole peeled or crushed
1½ cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion wedges, water, can of tomatoes with their juices, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally and add additional salt as needed. Blend the soup in a blender or use an emulsion blender, then season to taste. The soup doesn’t need to be ultra-smooth, some texture is a nice touch. If you use a regular blender, it is best to blend in batches and not fill the blender as much as you usually would since the soup is hot. Enjoy with toast or on its own, just stay warm!