And this can be proved not only by the soup recipe I discovered in A. Jagelavičiūtė’s book „Pasimatykime virtuvėje“, but also by N.Segnit words in „Flavor Thesaurus“ where she recommends using cinnamon instead of sugar to give some sweetness to tomatoes: „delicately seasoned tomato sauce does wonders to meatballs, lamb hocks, prawns and aubergines“.
In her book Agnė writes that this recipe is super easy even for those who can’t bake an egg. She spices up this soup with a splash of balsamic vinegar and sprinkles with some sesame seeds. But as she writes herself: „it’s not a big deal if you don’t have sesame seeds and balsamic vinegar on hand, the dish will still taste great. The most important thing here is the aroma of cinnamon.“ So, I jazzed-up the a little bit and gave it a nice and crunchy decoration made of caramelized pumpkin seeds with a little cinnamon.
Ingredients:
- 400 g canned tomatoes;
- 1 white onion;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil;
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of freshly cracked black pepper;
- salt to taste;
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon;
- sour cream (or cream);
- water;
- caramelised pumpkin seeds (see below).
Directions
- Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown. Pour the canned tomatoes with all their juices, add salt, sugar and pepper. Add some water (as much as you want) and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, and heat for a couple more minutes.
- Turn off fire, mix in the cinnamon. Puree the soup with an electric blender or in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl, add sour cream and top with some caramelized pumpkin seeds (or with some sesame seeds and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, as Agnė does).
Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds
- 4 tablespoons sugar;
- 1 ½ tablespoon of water;
- 50-60 grams of pumpkin seeds.
Directions
- Mix sugar and water (and a tiny pinch of cinnamon if you want to) in a heavy-bottomed pan, heat over a low heat and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. After the syrup starts boiling and becomes pale yellow set the pan aside and leave for 3-5 minutes (the caramel will darken even more).
- Mix in pumpkin seeds, assuring they are evenly coated. Spread on a baking paper and let them cool. Break in pieces and use to garnish the soup.
