Winter soul warmer!!!!

Winter Warmer Soup.... AKA Tamatar Shorba AKA Tomato Soup!!  

It is finally COLD out here!!!! Really really cold or at least feels like it. I just put my groceries away, wish had done it during the day, when the sun was out and when it did not look this dismal!!! Well.... Calls for planing which has eluded me off late...I kinda scurry around, rush around but get things done and call myself an "impromptu" person!!! With the same spirit....I am going to whip up something that has been on my mind all evening, actually ever since I set my eyes on my friend's post on face book about having soups.... She is having soups every day this week... Not a bad idea eh? But I cannot go through soups the whole week, a whole set of 7 days...but I thought, hey,  why not just for tonight?! So this is my winter warmer series of comfort foods...you see, winter did start everywhere but here in MN... We have been having almost spring like weather....so it kinda started this week, with the wind gusts, wind chills, wind swept flurries et al!!!!  

                                                                         Coming back to my friend's post.... all her friends have penned down their favorite soups and I don't think I saw any mention of good old tomato soup!!!!  Also, might have not had its name penned on the roll of honor as it could very well pass for an everyday soup!!  sigh!!  But, it is my absolute "go to" dish when I want to have soups as comfort food!!!  The others, I enjoy as a dish on their own.  But, tomato soup is in its league of its own, and I enjoy different forms of it as well....when blended with coconut milk and is fondly had as Saar in Maharashtra; Tomato rasam in Madras; Mysore Rasam in Krnataka, my own Gujarathi version -- Lal dal soup, my friend K's tomato bisque (to die for!) or cream of tomato in restaurants in India!!!   These were just to name a few!!    

                                      Mulligatawny or Mallagu thanni soup is considered as India's national soup....but hey, wonder whose idea was that... when you open a restaurant menu in India, the soup that takes the coveted top spot is the "cream of tomato" which also happens to be the most popular, and widely ordered soup!!  

                                So, here it is folks, a desi style, soul warming, tongue tingling, full bodied yet... absolutely low fat, please, by all means to make it well rounded and wholesome, go ahead and fatten it up with heavy whipping cream or butter or coconut milk!!  The choice is all yours and endless!!!  Let me also know what you did, so others who read this might benefit too!!!  

You will need:

1 tomato, chopped; 1 small onion, chopped, 1 small carrot, peeled and diced; 1/4 green bell pepper, diced, for flavor; 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp each of cumin powder, cayenne pepper powder; 1/4 tsp pepper powder, 1 tbsp all purpose flour and the star ingredient....5 oz of tomato paste.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of room temperature butter and 1 tbsp of canola oil.

Add cumin powder, mix well and add 1 tbsp of flour and whisk well.  You are making a roux here, a mixture of flour and fat (here butter and oil), usually in a 1:1 ratio.  Here, more fat is used, which works fine.  Stir fast so you do not burn the roux.  A roux is used to thicken soups, stews, sauces.  

Add the following ingredients in the numerical order given above, and saute after each addition... garlic, onion, saute well, carrots, tomatoes and finally the green bell pepper.

Add the base ingredients:  cayenne pepper powder, pepper powder, salt, tomato paste, and saute well!

When all the ingredients look pulpy and well blended, add 24 fluid ounce of water. Mix well and bring to a gentle simmer.

Transfer the mixture into the blender and puree the mixture into a smooth puree. It should have this bright saffron hue to it and is ok if it is chunky!!  Chunky soup = rustic soup!!!!  Or if you desire a smooth soup, then go ahead and strain it. But if you have a good quality blender...this step can be avoided!!!

Tamatar shorba simmering in different stages.  Let it come to a rolling boil for 5 minutes and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add a pat of butter if desired at the end, just before turning the heat off, to give a silken texture to the soup.  

I served the soup with garlic pannetini, is excellent with additional ground black pepper and served with a toasted lentil wafer.  A perfect soul warmer this winter season!!!  Enjoy huddling with a warm bowl of soup by the fireplace this season!!!  Happy eatings!!