Simple Recipe: Tomato-Challah Soup

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year is to blog more frequently. One of the reasons I haven't been doing so is that working at a toy store during the Holiday Season absolutely devours your life. But now it's January and life has slowed down. Ozzy's finally settled into a schedule and the Boy and I are apartment-hunting, so hopefully you'll soon hear about the excitements and travails of a new kitchen.

And even though things are settling down in January, I'm still working a few days a week and leaving the house for work (rather than mainly working from home with a few nighttime rehearsals that forced us to order up Chinese food more often than I'd care to admit) does give me less time and energy to cook. So, in an effort to blog more and to force us to continue eating good food even when I've worked that day and possibly am working the next, I'm starting a series on this blog: Simple Recipes and Easy Recipes. Simple Recipes are, you guessed it, simple. That means they can be made even after a day at work but, because they aren't extremely quick and taste slightly more exotic than normal, they're best when you can relax a little and don't have to work the next day. Easy Recipes, on the other hand, are designed for those nights when you've worked all day and have to get up early the next to start all over again. So, here goes. These won't be the most creative or imaginative recipes, but they sure will taste good. And, since I have today off thanks to Martin Luther King, last night's soup, Tomato-Challah Soup, was certainly Simple. I served it with Spicy Beef with Basil and Saucy Braised Eggplant (the links are to the recipes that served as my inspiration). Enjoy!

Tomato-Challah Soup

• 1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 6 leaves Basil, slivered, plus 3-8 additional leaves for garnish
• 5 Vine Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 8 cups hot Water
• 1/2 loaf stale Challah, ripped into approximately 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper, or to taste

Pour Olive Oil into large pot. Add Garlic and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, until Garlic is soft. Add Basil, Tomatoes and Water. Raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Add Challah, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occassionally to keep Challah from sticking to sides of pot. Add Salt and Pepper and stir well.

Spoon into Soup Bowls and serve with crushed Basil leaves sprinkled on top.

Food and Cooking and Recipe and Simple and Soup and Vegetarian and Pareve