Rustic Tomato Soup with Garlicky Bread

I like my soup hot, and you?

If there is one thing that makes me appreciate the culinary advantages of German cuisine it’s this: a proper loaf of bread. As any German, I love love love a good loaf of bread that isn’t at all soft and fluffy but instead dense and wholesome. Paired with olive oil, garlic and juicy tomatoes equals a dream come true. Eating this beautiful bread along with a hearty tomato soup is beyond delicious and makes me feel like I’m on holiday in the middle of a cosy forest hut. This tomato soup is rich in smokey flavours thanks to a helping of red wine and perfectly balanced due to a splash of balsamic vinegar. If you want to treat yourself to a quick holiday in the woods within your own kitchen – make this!

Servings: 2-3

Total time: 40 min

For the soup

Ingredients

500g red, juicy tomatoes

1 can tomatoes, chopped and with juice (240ml)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 red onion, diced

½ cup red wine

2 ½ – 3 cups vegetable stock

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

1 tbsp dried thyme 

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt to taste

to serve

6 slices of rustic rye bread

12 cherry tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic and red onion along with dried thyme. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot once the onion has started to caramelize. Add a dash of red wine as well as the balsamic vinegar and allow the tomatoes to develop a smokey aroma for about 5 minutes. 

2. Add the can of tomatoes as well as the vegetable stock and cover the pot with a lid for 30 minutes with occasional stirring. 

3. In the meantime, prepare the rye bread sliced. Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a food processor, combine the cherry tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until you get a juicy yet chunky consistency. Spread this tomato-garlic-mix over 6 slices of bread and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. 

4. After 30 minutes of simmering, blend the soup with a hand mixer – it should be smooth but still have some bits of tomato here and there! Scoop into bowls and serve along with hot, crunchy slices of tomato-garlic bread. YUM!