Wahine Day Tomato Soup

As we woke up to the wind howling through the house, I thought my husband would not be able to get to work. We lived 20 miles from Wellington, and worked in the area, but the wind and rain were something I had never seen. My husband left for work, soon to return, to ask for food and hot drinks. The contracting team he worked for was to go out and clear roads around the Lower Hutt area, so the rescue teams could get through and save people off a sinking interislander ferry. This was so hard to believe because in the short 4 hours since the sinking, the weather had calmed down and the sun was trying to come out. I had 2 very small babies and was trying very hard to keep them entertained inside, but the carpet square in the middle of the lounge floor kept dancing and lifting with the wind from under the floorboards. Although the power was intermittent, the coverage on T.V. showed the story as it unfolded. Requests were made for volunteers to help with the survivors and hot soup and blankets were also being asked for. The coast line where the survivors had drifted to with the tide was rough, rocky and isolated and many who survived had badly cut feet from climbing out of lifeboats or rescue boats onto sharp rocks and gravel. That day will stay with me, and every 10th April I send happy thoughts to those 50+ people who lost their lives, and to the families who survived that terrible day. Recently I travelled on the interislander and was very emotional as we passed Barretts Reef and I moved to the other side of the boat to see the distance the people had been swept to with the tide. The coastline was sooo far away.

Here is a recipe that would have been great for that day, and I make now and again to bottle when the beefsteak tomatoes are plentiful.

TOMATO SOUP. TO BOTTLE
14lb Tomatoes. 7 onions
7 cloves garlic 3 sticks celery
12 sprigs parsley 3 tablespoons salt
2-3 tablespons pepper 1 1/2 cups sugar.

METHOD.

Cut tomatoes into quarters, dice onion and peel garlic and cut celery sticks into cubes. Put all ingredients into a heavy based preserving pan, and gently boil till soft, about 1/2 hour. Place in blender, in batches, to make into a smoothish soup. I have a manual machine with a handle I have had for years, that spits out the skin and pips, but a blender would work just as well. Mix together 250grams melted butter and 6-8 tablespoons flour to a smooth paste. Return soup mix to pan, and add butter and flour paste to thicken. Sterilize jars and use overflow method and seal. Enjoy this with hot vogel toast or crumpets.