shallot balsamic tomato soup

Say what? Soup in the summer, has she gone mad?!

No, not mad- just lazy and in need of some comfort food. Sometimes, for no reason at all I can get into a major funk. A funk where I don't feel like doing anything, talking to anyone - a mood that I can never explain. I am sure every one goes through this, right? Not everyone can be sunny, happy go lucky all the time. These "funks" don't last long, but when they come around all I want to do is curl up on the couch with my handsome kitty on my lap, my loyal pup at my feet with a good book and a whole lot of comfort food. Soup and Grilled Sandwiches are top on my list of comfort foods- I shared with you last week my grilled sammie, well today I am sharing with you its better half.

I'd have to say this combo is much like Justin and I: I'm the sandwich - hot on the outside, full of goodness on the inside (okay, I'm joking- kind of), Justin the bowl of soup- hot, dependable with a little spice & surprise. Yes Justin is the tomato soup to my grilled sammie.

Growing up my Mom made tomato soup from a can- Campbells to be exact, always served with grilled cheese and saltine crackers. I like to think of this soup as the grown up version, a little more in depth flavor, less preservative - tomato soup should be just that, tomato soup! With a little extra zing that is, it is a trillion times  better than any tomato soup in a can.

In my pantry you will always find either canned tomatoes from the previous summer or when those run out a box of POMI chopped tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes can be found in its place. Fresh, canned or boxed whatever you have on hand will work in this recipe. If using fresh you will need to adjust the cooking time- increase by about 30 minutes or until thickened.

Shallots and balsamic with a bit of pure honey to cut the acid turns this childhood comfort into a grown up - finished with plenty of fresh cracked pepper and a sprinkling of good salt, you really can't go wrong.

Shallot Balsamic Tomato Soup

makes 2 servings

you will need:

 1 medium shallot, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

 Drizzle of Olive Oil

3 cups chopped tomato (I used Pomi)

2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp raw local honey or agave

1 cup of non dairy milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

assembly: 

In a medium soup pot/sauce pan over medium heat drizzle olive oil into the pan. Add shallot & garlic, saute until aromatic & slightly translucent. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, add in balsamic & honey/agave. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Temper the milk by transferring a small amount of hot soup to a bowl, slowly add the milk to the small bowl of hot soup. Add the tempered milk/soup mix to the larger pot and stir. Season with salt & pepper.

Enjoy!