Berkshire— Neil Fox is an ad guy who has spent more than a half century creating breakthrough marketing and advertising campaigns for the likes of Lego, Nespresso, City Harvest, and Mercedes Benz to name a few. His retirement came a few years ago with time to follow his passion: cooking.
His first cookbook “What’s on the Board?” is filled with inventive menus, tantalizing tales, and simple and delicious recipes. It’s where you’ll find this recipe for North African Tomato Soup. All of the ingredients are available locally, and it’s the perfect warm-up for a cold winter night.
North African Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to finish
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1 14-ounce can Italian tomatoes, chopped
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, plus extra to finish
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Heat the oil in a pot large enough to hold all ingredients.
Add the onion and stir until it turns translucent, about two minutes on low to medium flame.
Add the cumin seeds and garlic. Sauté on low flame for about two minutes.
Add stock, both types of tomatoes, sugar, a teaspoon of salt, and a few good grinds of pepper.
Bring all ingredients to a gentle/low boil. Cover and simmer for twenty minutes.
Add two tablespoons of cilantro. Then blitz using an immersion blender until tomatoes break down, which takes about one minute. The soup should be thick and a bit chunky.
Serve hot, garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped cilantro. Makes four to six servings.
