A slow simmer kind of day...

On a day like today, it probably was not a bad day to be indoors, if the icy weather was the only issue that was impacting the state of my universe. The kids had no school, so I was at home trying to get some work done. It is actually a treat for both them and me to squeeze in that extra time. However, this was more going on and not all good, the car refused to start yesterday when I got back from the train, possibly a result of my doing so that needed to be dealt with and it looks like I have managed to loose a flash drive that had all kinds of stuff and despite my best intentions this stuff was not backed up and then there was more.

The husband was not feeling well, actually neither was the little one. So it was just the kind of day to do something relaxed and comforting. What I ended up with was a seriously thick, rich tomato and vegetable soup. There was not much done to the soup to coax its flavors just left on the stove for a slow simmer and really what a perfect day to do this. This soup is rather like the Anglo Indian style soups we find in some hotels in India, just that this one was thicker.
The kids generally were rather excited about the whole concept of ground hogs day, yes thanks to this,


Well, in general on an icy slushy day, not too many folks were convinced about the early spring prediction, but we shall wait and see.

Slow Simmered Tomato, Carrot and Pepper Bisque

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 pod garlic
1 white onion, cut into a dice
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 large can organic diced tomatoes (if you have fresh tomatoes, naturally it is best, but not really something I have this time of the year)
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
1 small can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Place the olive oil and the butter in the pan and add the garlic through a garlic press.
2. Add in the bell peppers and the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, the onions should soften and turn transluscent at this point.
3. Add in the tomatoes, carrots, salt and water and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue cooking the mixture on low heat stirring occasionally for about 1 hour.
4. Cool slightly.
5. Place in a blender in batches with the evaporated milk and process until well blended, my soup retained a little texture from the carrots which we actually liked.
6. Stir in the cilantro and add fresh pepper if desired.
7. Serve immediately while it is still hot.