Creamy tomato soup accented with sumac, sun-dried tomato and sesame

Topped with spiral cut and roasted white potato and drips of sesame cream, balsamic vinegar and tomato passata, this makes a good sized bowl for two, but easily doubles or halves. Shown here with a light sandwich (waffles with oat, white miso spread and roasted mushrooms) and a light salad of baby arugula (2 cups packed baby arugula greens, 1T olive oil, 2t balsamic vinegar with a little sea salt).

Ingredients

For the soup
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions (4″ green reserved for garnish)
1T dried sumac
1t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (the dehydrated kind, not packed in oil)
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup passata (or tomato puree)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1T sesame seed butter
2T red miso
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2 medium white potatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2t nutritional yeast
2t balsamic vinegar
2t passata
1t sesame seed butter dissolved in 1t water
Scallions sliced on a diagonal as above

Instructions

Start with the potatoes, then the soup. Preheat the oven for 450F. If you don’t have a spiral slicer, you can still grate the potatoes with a box grater with the medium holes. Toss the sliced potatoes in 1T oil and coarse sea salt. Add in an even, shallow layer to a small, lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for about 10 minutes at 450F, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 15-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft, but not mushy and lightly browned. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the potato as a guide.

While the potatoes cook, make the soup. In a large pot with a lid, bring the cooking oil and sea salt to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, sumac, and herbs and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock, passata and soy milk. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer while the potatoes cook.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven, sprinkle with the nutritional yeast, and set aside. Remove the soup from heat and add the red miso and sesame see butter. Puree until the soup is smooth. Return the soup to a light simmer. Slowly and stirring continuously, add the tapioca mixture until thickened. Season to taste.

Ladle out the soup. Add the potatoes to each bowl in a thin, light layer. Add the vinegar, the passata and the sesame in small splashes, garnish with the scallions and serve.