The Empty Pantry

         Lets be really honest here- some days there is seemingly nothing to eat in the house- some days it is five o'clock and you still have no idea what to make for dinner- some days a trip to the grocery store with two or three crabby kids seems like the last thing on earth anyone would want to do. Still people gotta eat. It's a conundrum for sure and one I faced just last night- so I thought I would share one of our favourite quick- from scratch- soup recipes. It's whats to make when the pantry is empty!

Easy Curry Tomato Soup

vegetable oil or rendered fat*

half a small onion diced

a clove or two of garlic

1 stalk of celery diced

1 medium carrot diced

soup stock- or bullion cubes*

one large jar of canned tomatoes

1-2 cups of water

curry powder or paste

a dash of ground pepper

half a cup of cream, sour cream or yogurt

        In a soup pot heat oil or fat- I like to use bacon fat which I save in a small jar in the freezer for such events as cooking soup. So heat up the oil or fat and saute the diced vegetables- this is a basic mixture for any soup- onion, celery and carrot.  Once all the veggies are soft and the onions have gone transparent add your soup stock and canned tomatoes- add water- 1 or 2 cups depending on how watery your canned tomatoes are- allow to simmer for a few minutes before blending with an immersion hand blender- blend until the soup is smooth- add curry and pepper- remove from heat and add cream- still until combined. Serve with a nice chunky slice of bread for dipping!

     This is the perfect soup for a cold winter night when the craving of fresh veggies is strong- I will admit that last night I used our last jar of canned tomatoes and I swear I could taste the Okanagan sunshine! I also used garlic that my dad grew and carrots that our kids planted- it is so satisfying that even when the pantry appears to be empty I just need to dig around a little to find treasures from the past summer!

* rendered fat- I like to cook with left over bacon drippings- the taste is perfect for soup's like this one

* bullion cubes- Ok so while soup stock is the best ingredient to use if your pantry is truly empty you may still have bullion cubes floating around- if this is the route you are taking please be sure to add at least one cup of water per cube!