I caught a cold earlier in the week, and remembered seeing a recipe for Moroccan Tomato Soup in the Sunday New York Times. It sounded like the perfect thing to allow me to load up on Vitamin C, and eat something interesting and flavorful at the same time. I had all of the ingredients, so I quickly threw it together, and boy was it good. You toast the spices with the garlic as a first step, and then there is no cooking after that. The recipe calls for you to pass the tomatoes through a food mill, which I do not own (does anyone?). Instead, I simply peeled the tomatoes by boiling them and then plunging them into an ice water bath, then seeded and chopped them. This gave the soup a chunkiness that I loved. The flavors really developed after a day in the fridge. This would be excellent for a picnic with crusty bread and a cold roasted chicken.
Moroccan Tomato Soup
- 5 medium cloves garlic, smashed peeled & minced
- 2 1/2 t. sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 t. ground cumin
- large pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 t. olive oil
- 2 1/4 lb. tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped
- 1/4 C. packed chopped cilantro
- 1 T. white wine vinegar
- juice of one lemon
- Kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery, diced
Mix the chopped tomatoes with the cooked spice mixture, cilantro, vinegar, lemon juice, 2 t. salt, celery, and 2 T. water.
Add more salt as desired. Refrigerate until cold.
Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.
