Autumn Tomato and Vegetable Soup

Lunch in our home right now doesn´t always happen at lunch time. Sometimes it doesn´t happen at all, but we do eventually eat and everything tastes even better as hunger – so they say – is the best seasoning.

Soups are perfect as they just need to be heated up and can be eaten quickly if we´re in a rush, or enjoyed with a hearty sandwich or some cold meats and cheeses if we have the luxury of a little time. This was a quick one to prepare, and was warming and tasty due to the addition of fresh ginger and smoked pimentón.

Of course, I´d recommend a soup bowl and not a coffee cup without a handle, but the choice is yours!

Ingredients (serves two to four, depending on how hungry you are)

• 500ml of sieved tomatoes (passata)
• 500ml of water or vegetable stock
• 1 large carrot peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 1 large courgette peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 1 large onion peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium parsnip peeled and chopped into small chunks
• About 10 green beans cut into small pieces
• A level teaspoon of smoked paprika
• One heaped teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
• A teaspoon of marmite (optional)
• Salt & Pepper
• A tablespoon of fresh olive oil

Put all the ingredients except the oil into a saucepan and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and either serve as is with chunks of vegetables or add the olive oil and blend until smooth and creamy.

PS. The pretty napkins were made from an old sheet my best friend gave me that she found in a charity shop. She knows how I like to recycle and refashion and was sick of me commenting that I was missing sewing/knitting/crochet etc.  She gave it to me and said “there you go, it´s big enough for you to make a tablecloth and six napkins by hand”. So I did!

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