This weekend, Klarion asked me if she could make one dinner every week and tonight she prepared Tomato Soup with Croutons.

Heck yeah, I would love that! So she grabbed her cookbook called Sugar and Spice Cookbook for Girls by Hinkler Books and chose what she’s going to cook. She decided she’s going to make Tomato Soup with Croutons! Hmmm, sounds good but we actually haven’t had tomato soup as our dinner… you know we’re Filipinos and we can’t live without rice… as Filipino says “Rice is Life” lol! So, this is going to be unusual for us but we’ll give it a try. They say kids eat what they cook. So I’m keen.

She’s supposed to cook Tomato Soup with Croutons yesterday but she went for a Sunday playdate with her friend so she begged me if she could do it today after school. “Gladly”, I said.

With a little help and supervision, Klarion made Tomato Soup with Croutons. Kiara fried some fish fingers to go with it. It was a filling warm dinner for this cold winter night. We also made some changes in the recipe but we’ll share with you the original recipe. So here’s what you need.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SOUP:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 tsp plain (all purpose) flour
400 g/14 oz canned chopped tomatoes
600 ml/ 21 fl oz/ 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (broth)
salt
1-2 pinches white (granulated) sugar

FOR THE CROUTONS:

2 slices white bread, cut into cubes
2-3 tbsp grated cheese (cheddar or gouda)

TO GARNISH:
parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan and gently cook the diced shallot and carrot until tender.

2. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stock (broth), cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to the pan and season with salt and sugar to taste.

3. For the croutons: Heat the oven to 180 degrees C. (160 degrees C fan/350 degrees F/ gas 4). Grease a baking tray (sheet).

4. Put the bread cubes on the baking tray and drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake for about 8 minutes until just golden. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for a further 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted.

5. Reheat the soup and ladle into bowls. Serve tomato soup with croutons scattered on top and garnish with parsley.

NOTE:

This Tomato Soup with Croutons can be made up to 2 days before and kept in the refrigerator.