I really like getting a deal on my vegetables, and this week I found tomatoes in the Ugly Food Bin! They were all red and juicy looking, but some were lumpy, and others were small and flat on one side. They still taste great and have all the good vitamins and minerals we expect to see in a vegetable (or fruit, since we all know tomatoes only taste like veggies, but are really a fruit!)
Ugly Tomato Soup is easy to make, and it all gets mixed together in the blender, so it is okay if the tomatoes aren’t picture perfect. Cut up the tomatoes, only throwing away the tiny bit where the stem was and if there are any really ugly bits, then cut them off too.
Cook the tomatoes in a dry pan until they are nice and roasted… this means you should spread them out in one layer and not stir them. Just be patient, let them cook until they’re nice and brown. Set the tomatoes aside in a soup pot, and put the skillet back on the heat to cook the onions
Saute your onions ( we added garlic too) and then be sure to add the stock or water to the skillet so you don’t miss any of the good flavored bits that got left behind. Add it all to the soup pot, and bring it all to a boil. Add the seasoning and salt and pepper until you like how it tastes. Remember to add the herbs first and let them cook a bit before you add the salt. You don’t want too much salt in your soup! Once it has all cooked together for a few minutes, take it off the heat and blend it! We have a stick blender, but a blender or food processor work well too. Be careful blending hot things! Blenders have been known to blow off their lids if you try to blend too much hot soup at once.
