Recipe from Ellen Main (my Mother in Law in Australia)
This comes out of my collection of “Washday” recipes but I think it must have been tweaked since canned tomatoes certainly weren’t around in Oz (Australia) when the previous generation undertook the chore of handwashing, boiling and rinsing the household laundry by hand. However, they did pass on a lot of great, quick, tasty recipes.
WASHDAY TOMATO SOUP
Blend 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 2 small cans of undrained chopped tomatoes (I think this is where the recipe got tweaked), 1 small chopped red capsicum (bell pepper), 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of water. Season to taste. Serve hot or cold garnished with snipped chives and a dollop of sour cream.
If you decide to heat the soup, you can go the extra yard and seive it into the pot, bring to the desired temperature then whisk in the cream to taste. When I do this I use plain cream as the hot soup doesn’t need the extra tang.
