Tomato Soup with Ginger and Oregano

When we were on vacation last week, I had tried a couple of interesting cobbled together creations. Well, we had this condo with a really well equiped kitchen so I felt that it would be quite a waste not to use my time at least doing what I so love doing, - cooking. However, naturally since the supplies in terms of spices etc were minimal these turned out to be different from what I might have otherwise done. However, this soup worked wonders with grilled cheese that I made with pepperjack cheese to lend a little zing.

Tomato Soup Recipe

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 large piece of ginger, peeled and grated

8 vine-ripened tomatoes quartered

1/2 cup canned tomato puree

2 tbsp crushed peppercorns

1.5 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp fresh oregano

1 cup lowfat (2%) milk

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic and ginger for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, peppercorns, salt and butter with 3/4 cup water and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.

3. Cool for 10-15 minutes and add the garam masala and oregano and blend in the blender till very smooth.

4. Return to the heat and heat but do not boil. (If this boils the milk will curdle, you can use cream if you want a richer and piping hot flavor).

5. Stir in the milk and serve with your grilled cheese sandwich or by itself.