On a winter's day, if you want something warm, cream of tomato soup may be the best choice. Made with the tangy-sweet taste of fresh tomatoes and a touch of cream, the soup is both tasty and nutritious. This popular soup can be made quickly with simple ingredients and can be perfect for a light dinner. Here is how to make it.

• 5 large red tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 5 black peppercorns
• 4 cups stock
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 tin of cream
• sugar to taste
• salt to taste
• 5 pieces of fried bread for garnish

Heat oil or butter in a pan and fry the onion, garlic and carrot until lightly softened. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes are completely soft.

Now pour the blended tomatoes back into the pan, heat them, and mix in salt, sugar and pepper. Add stock or water and let it boil for 10-15 minutes. After boiling, turn off the heat and blend the mixture once more into a smoother paste.

Pour the paste into a separate pan, heat it and add cream or cornflour. When the soup comes to the boil, take it off the heat and serve hot. Garnishing with fried bread or a spoonful of cream on top adds to the taste.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.