Tomato soup with mussels and shrimp

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 250 ml tomato(s), pureed
• 400 g tomatoes, canned or fresh, peeled
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalk(s) Celery
• ½ stalk(s) leek
• 1 handful of green beans
• 2 small onions
• 2 garlic cloves (to taste)
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 300 g mussels (frozen or fresh mussels)
• 250 g shrimp, king prawns or prawns
• 1 bunch of oregano, fresh
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche (1 tbsp per serving)
• 1 some parsley, fresh or dried for garnish
• 1 baguette(s), as a side dish (optional)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Summer or party soup

If using fresh tomatoes, it’s best to start here: cover the tomatoes with boiling water for 1 minute, rinse well, and peel. Set aside briefly. For those not using fresh tomatoes, start now: roughly chop the onion and garlic. Don’t worry – the soup will be blended later with a hand blender, so there won’t be any large chunks left over. Briefly sauté the onions and garlic in a small splash of olive oil. Then deglaze with the passata and peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned). Add the stock. Chop the soup vegetables. Anything that’s in season and tastes good goes here. You can also use frozen vegetables, but in summer it’s almost a shame because you can easily get everything fresh. I usually use peeled celery (the skin is a bit stringy – it’s really worth peeling), leeks, carrots, green beans, and broccoli or cauliflower. Add all the vegetables to the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes. Now use a hand blender/stick blender to process everything into a smooth soup. Season with pepper, salt, tomato paste, and oregano (pick the leaves from the stems). Squeeze the fresh lemon juice and add it. If everything is to your liking, you can continue. Add the thawed mussels and shrimp to the pot and simmer over low to medium heat for 15 minutes. If it’s too hot, both the shrimp and mussels will quickly become tough or rubbery! Serve the soup on plates, place a spoonful of crème fraîche in the center, and garnish with some parsley. If baguette is being served as a side dish, slice the baguette and serve.