The skies are darkening, the trees are shedding, and Torontonians have elected Rob Ford as mayor of Toronto. Now, I don’t want to alarm you by screaming that the sky is falling, but it may just be the apocalypse. It’s time to withdraw all your money from the bank, hoard it under your mattress, and start fortifying your apartment against the inevitable onslaught of zombies. Or, you could just curl up with a big homemade bowl of tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and accept that winter’s on its way.
TOE-MAY-TOE/TOE-MAH-TOW SOUP
INGRIDIENTS
- 1 large yellow onion (30¢)
- 1 garlic clove (20¢)
- 10 medium sized tomatoes (Just grab a one dollar bag from the discount vegetable section of your supermarket. It doesn’t matter if they are wrinkly or dappled, they’ll taste fine, I promise.) (1.75$)
- 3 cubes of bouillon (vegetable or chicken, to your taste) (75¢)
- 5 cups of water
- 1 bunch of fresh basil (Herbs are one place where splurging is totally kosher.) (1.50$)
- parmesan cheese for garnish (1.50$)
STEP 1 : peeling tomatoes
- Bring a pot, large enough to totally submerge all your tomatoes, of water to boil. Submerge all your tomatoes in the water. Let stand for 3 minutes.
- While your tomatoes are boiling prepare a cold-water bath for your tomatoes. Place the cold-water bath in the sink, under the tap.
- With a slotted spoon gather your tomatoes and submerge them in the cold water bath. To ensure the water stays cold leave the tap open on low.
- The tomato skin should now be easy to peel.
- Time to peel and core your tomatoes!
- Reserve on the side
STEP 2: Don’t cry!
- Coarsely chop your onion.
- Press your garlic.
STEP 3: Playing with fire
- In your biggest pot bring 2 tbs of olive oil to frying temperature.
- Add your onion and garlic and sauté until translucent.
- Add tomatoes, water, & bouillon.
- Turn stove top down to a simmer, and let simmer for thirty minutes.
STEP 4: Get your soup on!
- Get out your hand blender and puree to texture that pleases you. I like mine very homogenous.
- Add the basil, finely chopped.
- If you are inclined, feel free to add some milk or cream to taste, but this is not necessary.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Serve into bowls and garnish with parmesan.
andapinch 