In Hungary tomato soup is tied in with school canteen experiences, 8 out of 10 Hungarians cook it in the traditional way, with roux, sugar and alphabet pasta, as they ate it in the school canteen. Homemade tomato soup is not difficult to make, it’s much better than the store versions, and to top it all off it can be made throughout the year using fresh or canned tomatoes.
Since you can find homemade tomato juice in many Hungarian pantries, tomato soup is usually made from juice, we don’t waste time on peeling and seeding fresh tomatoes (but you can use them if you want). The recipe I use is a healthier one full of vegetables with no roux and sugar, though it’s not pureed.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp lard
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 parsley roots
- 80 g (~3 oz) celeriac
- 1 small kohlrabi
- 1 red pepper
- 4 potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1,2-1,5 l (~5-6 cups) tomato juice
- 80 g (~3 oz) wide strip noodles (szélesmetélt)
- small bunch of celery leaves
Peel and dice all the vegetables. Heat lard in a pot, add finely chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Add peppers, carrots, parsley, kohlrabi and celeriac and fry them for 3-4 minutes while stirring constantly. Add potatoes, salt and pepper, then pour in 3/4 cup of water, cover and cook until tender (stir frequently and add more water if needed).
Once the vegetables are tender, pour in tomato juice. Bring it to a rolling boil and place wide strip pasta in the soup. Cook until tender (read the instructions on your noodle package to determine the correct time). At last add finely chopped celery leaves to the soup.
