Who would have guessed that the taste of comfort is like tomato, garlic, and cayenne? No, I'm not crazy. My mother was the queen of home remedies when I was growing up, and this was her go-to dish for stuffy noses and gunky coughs. If I had tasted the combination later in life, I might not feel so nostalgic about it. But from before I can remember, when I felt tired and sick and headachy and snotty and sore throaty, mom would pull out a jar of home-canned garden tomatoes and a bulb of garlic, and soon the soup would be simmering away like hot lava ready to purge me of the enemy. It wasn't just tomatoes and garlic and cayenne. It was the taste of affirmation, of comfort. It was the vegetarian crunchy version of chicken-noodle soup. And that's why, as an adult, I make this soup for myself when I'm fighting a bug, and I get to go back to when I was a little girl and my mama was there to soothe, comfort, and pour flaming hot soup down my throat. Aaah....
1 cup canned tomatoes
Lots of garlic
As much cayenne as you can stand
Salt to taste
*optional: squeeze of fresh lemon, fresh ginger (blend with other ingredients), or herbs of choice.
(Do NOT add sour cream or cheese or any form of dairy, as this will increase your mucus production, and you already feel like your brain is turning to snot.)
Blend tomatoes and garlic until puréed. Unless you prefer it chunky, like my mom made it, with bits of crushed garlic floating around in it. I still find the nostalgia factor when I blend it. Bring just to a simmer over low heat. Or over from heat and add cayenne and salt to taste. Cayenne is said to have more healing properties uncooked.
Put in your favorite soup bowl or mug. Prepare dining area with plenty of tissues to wipe your nose when the flood breaks loose. Moisten lips with lip balm. Eat soup, letting the hot liquid flow over your scratchy through. Blow nose. Repeat. Feel the love.
1 cup canned tomatoes
Lots of garlic
As much cayenne as you can stand
Salt to taste
*optional: squeeze of fresh lemon, fresh ginger (blend with other ingredients), or herbs of choice.
(Do NOT add sour cream or cheese or any form of dairy, as this will increase your mucus production, and you already feel like your brain is turning to snot.)
Blend tomatoes and garlic until puréed. Unless you prefer it chunky, like my mom made it, with bits of crushed garlic floating around in it. I still find the nostalgia factor when I blend it. Bring just to a simmer over low heat. Or over from heat and add cayenne and salt to taste. Cayenne is said to have more healing properties uncooked.
Put in your favorite soup bowl or mug. Prepare dining area with plenty of tissues to wipe your nose when the flood breaks loose. Moisten lips with lip balm. Eat soup, letting the hot liquid flow over your scratchy through. Blow nose. Repeat. Feel the love.