Warm Up with Garden Tomato Soup

It has been a long long while...
SInce I am here in Germany.....Loving the life of two adorable children, one being handicap, I am still an extreme foodie and family cook.  I seriously do not know better chefs in the world than those who cook for their families.  So I am BACK!  Dana Poole,  a good friend of mine, always tells me she eats my stir fry lettuce wraps, so I thought, I need to get back into the groove.  I am going to document what I cook here in Germany, why not?  I still cook 7 nights a week, so there is bound to be something you like right?  LIke this Garden Tomato Soup.  So simple, yet completely delectably satisfying.
*****IMPORTANT INFO******
I have made changes to this recipe since I took pictures.  I actually took these pictures in the summer before we moved to Germany.  I add one can of chicken stock or veggie stock to it.  So add it before you add the tomatoes..... 




Recipe


4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 yellow or green squash
1-2 stocks of celery, diced
a hand full of fresh flat leaf parsley
juice and zest from 1 lemon
1- 28 ounce can of tomatoes, OR 28 ounces of fresh tomatoes, blanched with skins peeled
1-10 ounce can of chicken or veggie broth
salt and cracked pepper to taste

Fresh simple ingredients...

always start your pot by coating the bottom with extra virgin olive oil....  yummm

Dump all veggies in together!  Except tomatoes and broth...that comes later

add salt and fresh cracked pepper, stir so all veggies are coated with the olive oil

Add the grated lemon peel 

and lemon juice.....

put the top on and let the veggies simmer till the onions are transparent, add more oil if your veggies are looking dry...

Add tomatoes and chicken or veggie stock to the veggies once they are cooked and ready, simmer for 30 min-1 hour

Puree the soup till it is the consistency you like

To make things better, put the soup in ramekins and throw a piece of mozzarella on top.  What did mozzarella ever do to you?

Put under broiler for a minute or two.

Add a little parsely for garnish.  And there you have the perfect garden tomato soup