Tomato Soup with Walnut Gremolada
Did you know that tomatoes are thought to originate in Peru? The name actually comes from the Aztec ‘xitomati’, which means ‘plump thing with a navel’. Sounds logical, right? 😉 But even better, when tomatoes were first introduced in Europe in the 1500’s, the French called them ‘apples of love’ and the Germans ‘apples of paradise’ – what nice correlations!
It’s hard for me to imagine now, how as a child, I didn’t like this lovely sweet fruit – yes, it’s a fruit! What would I do these days without tomatoes…? Whatever you think of them, they are certainly doing your body good! High in Vitamin C, Vitamin A and a great source of lycopene, tomatoes are very effective Antioxidants that are instrumental in neutralizing free radicals known to potentially damage cells, which can increase inflammation and the progression of severe diseases, such as heart diseases and cancer. They are also a great source of fiber, which helps to regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
So let’s give our bodies a good power boost – how about a creamy and delicious tomato soup? I just happen to have a new recipe for you. ☺
As I love adding a bit of crunchiness to my cream soups, I decided to make a walnut lemon gremolada here, this gives it a little twist.
All you need to prepare this at home is a high-speed blender or a standard blender + food processor.
Enjoy! 🙂
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 red onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 300 gr ripe (!) tomatoes
- 400 ml vegetable broth
- 5-6 fresh basil leafs
- salt & pepper to taste
- 80 gr californian walnuts
- 1/2 lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fennel greens, finely cut
- 50 gr Californian walnuts
- 1 tbsp inactive organic nutritional yeast
- pinch of salt
- Cut fennel in halves and remove the stalk, then finely cut fennel in small cubes. Keep the green parts aside for decoration. Peel onion and garlic and cut in cubes. Heat oil in a soup pot, then lightly braise fennel, onion and garlic for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup of water and let it braise for another 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fill a separate pot with water and bring to a boil. Turn heat off once boiling and add tomatoes to sit for about 2-3 minutes, then take them out and peel them - the skin should come off easily now.
- Add pealed tomatoes together with vegetable broth to the soup pot and cook all ingredients covered for about 25 minutes.
- Then, blend the soup until smooth and creamy adding the basil leafs as well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add all ingredients to the food processor and pulse for about 6-7 times. You want to have some texture left, not too floury.
- Add walnuts to the food processor and mix for a few seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the fennel greens for decoration, and mix for few more seconds. Ready!
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