Super Fresh Tomato Soup with Cilantro-Lime Pesto
This recipe was really delicious, really healthy, and really turned into a big mess. I’ve been fairly lucky in my history as a home chef and have had few significant mishaps. This one, however, was a doozy. Basically, I learned that if you take a very hot substance which is mostly liquid with a few solids, like in this tomato soup, and overfill the blender even a little, it will explode everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I’ve included a picture but even it doesn’t do justice to the hilarious bit of kitchen chaos I experienced that night. Ah well, live and learn. I hope you enjoy the recipe, at least.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, diced
9-10 small to medium-sized tomatoes (I used Roma, but any flavorful variety will do), peeled, seeded and diced (reserve as much juice as possible)
2 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 bunch cilantro
½ cup pine nuts
Zest and juice of one lime
½+ cup olive oil
Directions:
Heat tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in cumin and heat until fragrant, about one minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and water, bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the cilantro, pine nuts, lime zest, lime juice and olive oil in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary.
Let tomato mixture cool, and then, working in very small batches, puree in a blender. Pour soup into bowls and add swirls of pesto, plus cilantro sprigs for garnish, if desired. A dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche would also go well, if you’re feeling fancy.
Also, if you have extra pesto, which you most likely will, I would mix it with some brown rice, fresh corn, diced tomatoes, avocado chunks and cooked chicken for a salad you can bring to work – delish!
Oh. my. word. That looks like quite the mess to clean up! Fortunately, that recipe looks absolutely delicious. I will be making a big batch when the weather heats up and I can get good tomatoes again. YUM!