Favourite: Simple tomato soup with mozzarella

An easy tomato soup with only a few ingredients.

The whole summer I felt uninspired (intimidated) by our new kitchen and our strange gas cooker, so there has been nothing exciting happening there for months.

Not to say we haven't eaten well: we have tried countless restaurants in our new neighbourhood. It's time to start saving money again, and to plan our meals a bit better.

This tomato soup recipe originates from the Finnish Vegemisiä blog, and because it's so easy and has very few ingredients, we've been making it regularly for a few winters now. It's also the first recipe I ever used whole tinned tomatoes in. Today it was a stunning +25°C and not really a soup day, but I'm sure this Indian summer will pass as quickly as it arrived...

Tomato soup with mozzarella 

(three to four portions)
2 onions
3 garlic cloves
Oil for frying
2 tbs wheat flour
800 ml vegetable stock (or 800 ml water and 2 organic stock cubes)
2 tins (800g) of whole, peeled tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
A dash of sambal oelek or a pinch of chili powder (I used 1/2 tsp of hot, Hungarian paprika powder)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of lemon juice (The need for salt and lemon depends on the acidity of the tomatoes, so it can vary a lot.)
Mozzarella (I used one bag, i.e. one lump of mozzarella)
Basil

Peel and chop the onions and garlic. Fry them in oil, in a two or three litre pot, until they become soft and translucent. Sprinkle the flours over the onions while stirring well, and gradually top it off with vegetable stock. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and spices. Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for ten more minutes. 

Taste and add lemon juice, salt or pepper if needed. Tear pieces of mozzarella into the soup and let it settle for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.