My comfort food

Comfort food.  You hear the term a lot.  It is not that piece of chocolate you eat when stressed to make you feel better..oh no, it is much more than that.  It is a dish that from the first bite takes you right back to that safe, happy place you knew as a child.  I needed to go to that place today.   I have been ignoring the signs of a cold for the past 2 days, but I could ignore it any longer.  I had the chills all day, my nose is raw from blowing it every ten minutes and I am cranky.  I am rarely sick so when it happens I am not happy..I am a big cranky baby.

So what is my comfort food.  A big, warm bowl of tomato soup.  It is the only thing that makes me feel better.  As a kid when I got sick I would pass on the chicken noodle and request tomato instead.   Simple and filled with tomato goodness.

If I have not yet convinced you to jar your own tomatoes at the end of the Summer..this will be the push you need.  Open that home jarred tomatoes and it is like you just walked onto a farm and picked it off the vine.  Only if the internet allowed you to smell!   No need for heavy cream or butter, that just takes away from the freshness.   Remember, I illustrated how to easily jar your own tomatoes here.

Ingredients:
1tsp olive oil
1 finely chopped garlic clove (RI)
1 finely chopped scallion (MA)
Diced tomatoes (16 oz) (picked in NH, Jarred in Somerville)
2 cups water
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 small carrot chopped (to cut the acid) (MA)
1 cup baby spinach (MA)
1 cup whole wheat elbow pasta


My jarred tomatoes were chopped very chunky, so I put them in the food processor to crush them up.

In a medium pot, add oil and saute garlic and onion for a minute or two.  Add tomato, water, broth and carrots.  Bring to a boil on high and then reduce to medium heat and let the flavors blend (about 5-6 minutes).  I then added the pasta and let it cook slowly on the lower heat just to allow more time for the flavors to mix (5-6 minutes).  Just as it was done, add the spinach and cook until just wilted (~1 minute).
Here is the end result.    You can toss a little grated cheese on top if you choose, but I love it just as is.

This is so fresh and healthy that it is impossible to not feel healthy and refreshed by eating it!  My nose is still stuffy, but I do feel better!

Hope you find a little comfort in my comfort food.