After the (very tasty) disaster of my bronuts last week, I’m playing it safe this week! Something I can actually cook quite well and no fancy finish. Well, unless you want a swirl of milk in it!
Ingredients
- 450g fresh ripe tomatoes or a 400g tin
- 1 large onion
- 25g green pepper
- Tablespoon of olive oil
- 500ml to 1litre chicken stock
- Pinch of basil (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt, black pepper, half a teaspoon sugar
Method
- If you are using fresh tomatoes, peel them by placing them in a suitable large bowl, and cover with boiling water. Wait 15 seconds, then pour off the boiling water. Cover with cold, wait 30 seconds, and the skin should remove easily. Chop finely.
- Peel onion and chop finely.
- Chop green pepper finely.
- Heat up the oil and fry the onion and pepper until soft.
- Add tomatoes, stock, basil and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add seasoning to taste, plus the half teaspoon of sugar.
The sugar is important, as it takes the edge of the tomatoes. Remember my mother’s tip of adding smash (dried instant potato) to thicken soup? You can do this here if you want or add a peeled chopped tattie in at step five.
Other possible additions at this point are a handful of brown rice or pasta. Pretty much any pasta! If I use spaghetti, I break it up before adding it. Make sure the rice or pasta is cooked before serving. Different stocks also work. Serve with crusty bread and, if you want, add a wee bit milk, cream or grated cheese to each bowl. It’s easy to double up the recipe or to put your own spin on it.