Creamy Tomato and Beet Soup

This recipe is part of a two-part 3-course meal menu. 

Check out the first starter, here: Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette.

Next to broccoli, I think tomatoes and beets cause some of the most polarizing responses. People either love them or hate them. Beets in particular warrant one extreme response or another. I was not a fan for some time, but they grew on me. Beets also happen to have incredible health benefits and can aid in weight management.

It turns out that combining the two not only helps your valentine theme colour-wise but also makes for a rich but light creamy soup!

Garnished with some cheese of your choice ( I used parmesan) and served with some fresh, hot bread, you and your loved one will be in for a treat to kick off the meal.

Beets have a subtle, earthy, slightly bitter, citrus-like flavour. The tomatoes have a bolder, overpowering taste, and you'll want to use fresh, ripe, sweet tomatoes to balance things out - but you'll be able to get both flavours. If you use unripe tomatoes, their tartness can overtake your soup, so keep that in mind.

I like to leave my soups slightly chunky for texture, but if you also want to make sure you're feeling the BEET, leave a couple of roughly cut pieces unblended!

Overall, even with the cream, you're going to get undertones of acidity and rich flavour, which deepen over time, so maybe make it the day before and leave it overnight. I would recommend consuming the soup in three days if sitting in the fridge for optimum taste!

This recipe may seem unconventional as far as soups go due to the pairing, but it makes for an excellent starter.

Ingredients

5 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes

3 large beets, cooked

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup mirepoix (equal parts diced celery, carrots and onions)

2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped + extra to garnish

1 can coconut milk or 1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons Worchester sauce

2 tablespoons cooking wine

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons black pepper

1 teaspoon fenugreek powder

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

Instructions

In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil, then add you're mirepoix, spices, salt, pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the mix begins to soften. Add the fresh dill, cook for another minute.

Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes, followed by the Roma tomatoes. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes begin to integrate with the rest of the mixture.

Add in the beets, cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add in the Worchester sauce, sugar, cooking wine, broth, and coconut milk. Stir until evenly distributed, then reduce heat and simmer on low for about 35-40 minutes with the lid on top. Stir occasionally, seasoning to taste in the final 10 minutes.

Season to taste again (i.e. add some salt, pepper, or spice to your liking as this can change as you cook).

Remove from heat and cool for about 5-10 minutes. Get your immersion blender or transfer to a blender and mix until you get your desired texture.

Serve hot with fresh bread, topped with sour cream, parmesan cheese, and fresh dill!

Tomato and Pumpkin Bisque with Grilled Cheese

There is nothing like a warm bowl of soup as the weather chills. This used to be one of my favourite dinner time meals - rich and flavorful with a crust of bread and cheese. It is heart-warming and so satisfying!

I made this quick and simple for you to follow with a seasonal addition - pumpkin! Pumpkin and tomato melody quite nicely with one another, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

You can use roasted tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato sauce from a can, it’s up to you and what’s available in your kitchen. The same goes for the pumpkin. Whole fruits and vegetables will, of course, require a few extra steps to prepare.

You can make this in one sitting, but I encourage you to make the soup the day free to get more depth of flavour. I cooked mine and left it overnight, then made the cheese sandwich.

You can add other elements to the sandwich, like pesto to sundried tomatoes like what I did. I would recommend using at least two different types of cheese for some extra dimension, and these can be plant-based.

I also used palm oil instead of butter to add some additional richness to the soup.

If you are familiar with my recipes, you'll know I’m a big advocate for using multiple spices to get the right flavours. Salt and pepper are great, but not enough! This blend will give you a grade-A tomato and pumpkin bisque, don't be intimidated by the amount.

Ingredients

Soup:

1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 can coconut milk

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 tablespoons palm oil or plant-based butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon Royco Usavi (optional)

2 vegetable broth bouillons

2-3 cups water

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/3 cup mirepoix (onion, carrots and celery)

1 tablespoon chipotle powder

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon dried basil or Italian seasoning

1/4 cup cooking wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dried parsely

Grilled cheese:

1/2 baguette or several bread slices of choice

Herbed butter

Pesto

Garlic powder, salt and black pepper

Sun-dried tomatoes

Habanero cheese

Pepper Jack cheese

Instructions

In a large pot, add all the spices, salt, pepper and cook in the palm oil/butter and mix for about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and tomato sauce, cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same pot, saute the garlic, mirepoix, parsley, bouillon cubes, and tomato paste, cook for 3 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and tomato back into the pot, with the water, cooking wine, soy sauce, and 1/2 the coconut milk. Reduce heat, simmer for 40 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally to prevent the soup sticking to the bottom of the pot.

While the soup cooks, prepare the grilled cheese. Cut two slices for each sandwich, and butter both sides of each piece.

Spray an iron-cast skillet with cooking spray (you can add a little bit of olive oil if you like).

Smear all the slices with the herbed butter.

Slice the cheeses very thinly (careful not to cut yourself!) and lay the pieces on one piece of each sandwich. Place some sundried tomatoes, garlic powder, and pepper on top.

On the other slice of the sandwich, smear with pesto then assemble the sandwiches.

On medium-low heat, place each sandwich in the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until slightly toasted, and the cheese has melted.

Stir in the remaining coconut milk and lemon juice into the cooked soup as the final step. Simmer for another 5 minutes then remove from the stovetop.

Slice the sandwiches in half and serves with your hot soup.

Sweet Potato Soup

This is one of six plates I would serve if asked to make a 6-course meal or string of small plates/tapas based on Zimbabwean cuisine. I used ingredients that are commonly eaten or are considered a cornerstone of our cooking, but with a modern twist. 

The sweet potato. I've used it many times in several recipes on this website. It's one of the most widely-eaten starchy tubers in Zimbabwe so I had to use it.

There is nothing better than a thick, rich, flavourful soup and it’s not hard to achieve at all. No need to go to a restaurant for it! It’s all about the right combination of spices, rich broth, and a solid base. 

If I had more time and patience, I may have made my own homemade broth for it! Homemade is usually best.

Since sweet potatoes are starchy, they lend themselves well to soups and help thicken everything up. In this case, so does the tomato paste. It’s used in French cooking technique known as pincage which you add to mirepoix (a combination of celery, onion and carrots) which makes for a great soup base because of the flavour it adds. 

I also add the tomato paste because tomatoes are almost always present in the typical Zimbabwean kitchen and all over the markets year-round. They are also the base for most stews whether vegetarian or meat-based, it’s rare to find any Zimbabwean stew that has no tomato present. I also think it adds a flavour dimension that makes soup have more depth of flavor.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

1 cup mirepoix (2 parts diced onion, 1 part celery, 1 part carrot)

2-3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon hot Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon fenugreek powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons hot mango chutney

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1 (6-oz) can tomato paste

2 bouillon cubes

3-4 cups water

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Instructions

Peel and dice the sweet potato. In a large pot, heat the butter and oil with the garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add all the spices and the sage, cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

Mix in the mirepoix and chutney until evenly coated and cook until the vegetables begin to soften. 

Add in the tomato paste and stir frequently to form a pincage - cook for another 2-3 minutes until it begins to brown. 

Pour in the water and reduce the heat to simmer. Add the bay leaves and cover with a lid for about 30 minutes or until the sweet potato softens. You'll want to regularly check your soup and stir occasionally. The soup will be thick and flagrant, add a little bit more water if necessary.

Set aside and cool the soup down. Once cooled, take out a few whole sweet potato cubes. Pour the soup into a blender or use a hand blender to puree the soup until smooth or your desired texture.

Garnish with croutons, fresh sage, and sweet potato cubes you set aside. Serves 3-4.