Tomato Soup For the Soul

Tomato Soup
*serves 4-6

For the first Sunday in quite some time I found myself back in the kitchen. The feeling was somewhat indescribable but I’ll try my best to detail it here. Cooking has been the backbone to my mental stability, physical wellness, sustained health and the spirit that drives me to give to others. Not having my very own kitchen for the last year and six months has proven to be manageable, living with family and friends who have graciously opened up their homes to me during a time of unexpected change, transition and surgeries. That feeling I would get every Sunday as I listened to a podcast, audiobook or radio while I cooked alone — well — I felt it this Sunday and the return to what I knew was sweet. Without cooking I am, admittedly, somewhat lost. It’s not only my steady foundation, but also an outlet for creativity and deliberately slow living. The process of cooking calms me, it invites me home to myself and balances my brain. I’ve been getting along well with walks, reading, talks with friends and deep breaths but this Sunday I felt the depth of my person again. Strange? Maybe. But I think once any of us find a hobby or a love that fundamentally changes who we are, going without it can make us feel as though we’ve been stripped bare.

My aunt and uncle have been taking care of me since my last surgery, a breast explant due to a rupture. I’ve been sore, unable to lift much and allowing myself rest — which is so very hard for me. I’ve asked God for grace in receiving help and I think I’ve done pretty well in that learning. Learning to receive is hard, I’ve been a fixer and do’er for the great portion of my life, childhood included. But on Sunday I was able to pay it forward with soup. Tomato soup. My aunts favorite. The ingredients were already in the house and I thought with a few hours on my own in the kitchen it was the least I could do to contribute so the 3 hours in the kitchen came with the ability to give again and with a calm that swept through my soul.

I often think about how being an emotional eater, an anxious eater, an addicted eater — who wore the shame on her body — on the outside — where everyone could see it — shifted seismically when I started cooking for myself. When I got lost in a moment, whether standing and chopping, stirring or waiting while said food item was roasting or being baked in the oven — well — everything faded. The weight faded, after I lost the weight, cooking allowed work woes to fade, the static of the radio mingled with the sound of red sauce bubbling and the smell of onions and garlic frying. Cooking has allowed everything in my life that has been unmovable to fade, turning the parts of my pain into a movable feast.

Who knew one pot of tomato soup could make me feel this way again?

Making tomato soup is somewhat of a ridiculously easy feat. All you’ll need to gather up is butter, shallots or an onion, carrots, garlic, canned tomatoes, chicken or veggie stock and some salt and pepper. White wine or a white balsamic vinegar is also a lovely addition to the soup, but it’s very optional — with or without it, you’re soup will sing and speak back to your soul and the soul of others.

The best part? Tomato soup, well, like most of my winter veggie based soups, are one pot wonders that are easily cooked and then pureed with an immersion blender right in the pot. You can finish it with herbs, croutons, grating cheese or a drizzle of half and half, but at the end of the day I like the soup as is — unfussy and heartwarming.

You’ll start off by melting some butter, adding the shallots to the pot and then the carrots. Toss in the garlic and saute everything for about 10-15 minutes over a medium flame, being sure to stir and move the veggies about the pot so nothing sticks or burns. Add in the tomatoes and then the stock, bring the pot to a boil, then lower the flame, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Voila, you have tomato soup. Allow the soup to slightly cool, used the immersion blender to make it silky smooth and adjust the flavor with a little salt and pepper or some chicken bullion for a more salty and herby pop.

Once the tomato soup is blended, the color will be somewhat of a creamy reddish orange, like a flame. All of this is achieved without adding an ounce of cream. The use of butter really removes the acidity from the tomatoes and makes for a very smooth and palatable soup. If you’d like to use half and half or cream, you can drizzle it in and blend it at this point before warming it up to be served.
Make tomato soup for someone you love or maybe even for the sake of your soul and getting back in the kitchen. Maybe do it with both intentions in mind.

XO

Tomato Soup
*serves 4-6