Red Soup for a Red Week. Lent

Lent has seven weeks and the rainbow has seven colours. I have given each week of Lent a different colour, starting this first week with red. I lit a red candle on my special season table, I plant tomato seeds, I buy some red tulips and I make some red food. I am not a vegetarian and don't give up meat totally for these weeks, but I challenge myself to let as many days as possible be vegetarian days.

I am fascinated by the red colour. Do you know that red was for a long time one of the most difficult colours to make. The old Meso - Americans found out that the blood from the female cochineal beetle together with alun made a beautiful red colour. I read about colours in Victoria Finlay's Colours. Travels through the Painbox and I am mesmerized.

Red Vegetable Soup / Tomato Soup

Dice a red onion and braise in the best extra virgin olive oil together with two stalks of cellery. Add three chopped carrots, then four plum tomatoes cut into boatshaped pieces. Cover the vegetablas with just enough water. Add salt and pepper and dried bouillon. Let boil for 20 minutes. Add a glass of white wine if you prefere (I don't do that during Lent)

Eat with bread and butter.