Pure Hunger

A very dear friend just moved to Texas and her absence has been felt. Before she left, however, she let me go through her pantry and take home anything I desired. It was going grocery shopping at your favorite store for free. She and I have very similar interests and priorities when it comes to making food for our family. So I was sent home with at least four very full bags of groceries and I very empty heart. It never occurred to me that when I opened my pantry and saw those items, I would suddenly feel as though she were standing right in the kitchen next to me. When I put what she gave us into our food I feel like some of that love in our friendship is mixed in. It’s only fitting then, that this soup is red as the heart and roasted like the state of Texas that she now occupies.

Ingredients

Roasting vegetables:

5 pounds tomatoes, washed & sliced in half
1 large sweet onion, peeled & sliced
1 large garlic bulbs, prepared for roasting
extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, & pepper, for vegetables

Soup:

3 cups roasted tomatoes
2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh
all of the roasted sweet onion
1 can light coconut milk or 1.5 cups (reserve 2-3 tbsp for garnish)
3 cups vegetable broth (I used low-sodium)
2 tsp garam masala or make your own
1 tsp salt or to taste (you may have to reduce amt. if you used full-sodium broth)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
for garnish: garlic croutons, coconut milk, pesto, herbs, garam masala, pepper, etc.

This soup also came at a time when our garden has been bursting with tomatoes that only stay ripe for so long. If you are not overwhelmed with tomato produce, like myself, then you can spend the money on fresh produce or just buy some canned roasted tomatoes. This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes after the vegetables are roasted. I also found it was very easy to roast the vegetables during my sons afternoon nap and then dump it all into a pot for dinner and let simmer, blend and serve.

This post is one of the many in a series that I will be doing trying to only use what I have in my pantry or from our garden. Our cabinets are stuffed to the gills due to my friends generosity and this late harvest season. It is incredibly exciting to know that 80% of this meal came from the seeds we planted in the spring.

Preheat oven to 400F. Place onions in small baking pan lined with tin foil. Lightly drizzle with Olive Oil and season with salt and pepper. Place tomatoes on lined baking sheet or casserole dish (might need 2). Season with salt and pepper.

Peel back outer layer of skin of garlic bulb then carefully chop off very tip top section of bulb, leaving heads exposed. Place garlic bulb in medium sized sheet of tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap tin foil around bulb, closing at center. Place in a small casserole dish. 

Roast all vegetables for about 30 minutes. When the onions are golden and lightly blackened on the edge, you can remove them. Continue roasting the garlic for about 60 minutes or so (check it after 45mins), and the tomatoes for about 1-2 hrs. Your oven times will vary though, so keep an eye on them!

Add 3 cups roasted tomatoes, 2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh, and all the onion into a large pot. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, and broth and stir well. Stir in the seasonings and spices to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Carefully transfer into a blender, processor, or use an immersion blender and blend to desired texture. Serve immediately and garnish with reserved coconut milk, a sprinkle of garam masala, croutons/bread, and fresh black pepper. I topped it off with parsley pesto.