Spicy Tomato and Orzo Soup - Vegan

Winter is nearly on us. Here the temperature is touching 4 C. Well, I know it is not much when compared to some parts of the world. But we are getting used to the English weather and so it is cold for us. I have fished out my scarfs and gloves. Am now dreading the morning when I have to scrape ice of my car's windshield. That is another 10 minutes added to the morning.

Well, so what if it is cold. There are always ways to celebrate any weather with food. If it rains, make some chai and pakoda (desi style), if it is hot make come juice! So it is time to make some soup now. I am really excited about it :-)

I think I may have told you before about my love for soups and breads. When we make soup at home, it is never as an appetizer. It is always a full fledged meal. And sometimes I do not know what I am more excited about - the soup or the bread. Some weeks the soup is the star while on some others its the bread. This week it definitely was the soup (cause I just used store bought bread, what's fun in that)!

I have tried a new ingredient today - Harissa paste. It is used extensively in African cooking. I keep seeing Jamie Oliver use it a lot and just got myself a jar. It went well with this tomato soup.

Ingredients

Olive Oil 2-3 tbsp
Onion 1 finely chopped
Garlic 3 pods finely chopped
Tomato 3 finely chopped
Tomato Paste 3 tbsp
Harissa Paste 2 tsp (Use chilli paste if you cannot buy harissa)
Orzo 1 cup (Less for a thinner soup) (use any pasta if you cannot buy Orzo)
Water/Broth 6 cup
Dried Italian Herbs 1/2 tsp
Parsley 2-3 tbsp finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic and saute till it is caramalized.

2. Add the tomato paste and harissa. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add the tomato and saute for a few minutes till the tomatoes are cooked.

4. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Season with salt. Also add the italian herbs.

5. Add the orzo (you can use any small pasta here). Mix well.

6. Cover and cook till the pasta is cooked, about 7-8 min.

7. Garnish with Parsley.