Tomato Spaghetti Soup

The supermarkets in Hong Kong have been marking the end of summer and beginning of autumn by selling copious loads of lush red tomatoes. As the weather's beginning to cool here, this is the perfect time for some warm soups. Put two and two together, and you know what's coming!

I came across this recipe while flicking through an old cookbook. While the original called for orzo, I had forgotten that I'd run out and so when I got back home from the market, I had to stand around the kitchen counter for a solid five minutes trying to snap dried spaghetti strands into orzo sized chunks. Not quite the same thing, but good enough nonetheless!

The soup was very light and perfect for this time of the year. Definitely something that I will make again.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes
750 ml vegetable stock
100g broken spaghetti (about 1” long pieces)
3-4 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Fry the chopped onion and celery in a saucepan using 1 tbsp olive oil until soft.
2. To peel the tomatoes, score a cross on their base with a knife and put them in hot water for 1 min. Then, transfer them into a pot of cold water and remove the skin--it should easily come off.
3. Halve the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Coarsely chop the remaining flesh.
4. Transfer the tomatoes to the pan with onions and celery. 
5. Add vegetable stock and spaghetti and bring into a gentle boil. Cook for about 10 mins.
6. Season as per taste, and add parsley. Cook for another minute before serving.