Polish-style tomato soup

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 3 liters of water
• 500 g soup meat (chicken or beef)
• 500 g soup vegetables (celery/leek/parsley/carrots)
• 200 g tomato paste, 3-fold concentrated
• ½ can tomatoes, pureed
• 300 g potatoes, as filling
• 200 g carrot(s), as garnish
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 grains allspice
• 2 juniper berries
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) lovage
• 1 tsp, levelled sugar
• 1 tsp, sautéed dill
• 1 tbsp, leveled vegetable broth (I use my own homemade broth)
• 300 g pasta, soup noodles (preferably mussels or similar)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

tomato soup

Wash the meat for the soup, place it in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 2-3 hours. I then strain the mixture through a sieve lined with paper towels (I don’t like floating stuff in soups), then add the washed soup vegetables. When the vegetables are cooked, I remove them and discard them. Peel the carrots and potatoes, cut them into small cubes, and add them to the soup. Let everything simmer until soft, then add the tube of tomato paste and half the can of passata. Meanwhile, cook the pasta—which will later serve as a soup garnish—until soft. Then season the soup with salt, pepper, sugar, and vegetable stock. Mix the flour with the cream well; if it’s too thick, add a little water. Pour the mixture through a sieve into the boiling soup (to avoid lumps). Add dill at the end to round out the flavor. Add a few tablespoons of pasta to each plate and pour the soup over it. I always make the meat broth in the evening while I’m watching TV, and then I finish the soup the next day. Tip: In tomato season, I use good/fresh tomatoes – 1 kg – for the tomato soup.