Chunky Italian Tomato Soup

Heat olive oil in a soup pan, over medium heat. Add chopped carrot and celery and stir. Add chopped onion and stir. Add garlic, stir again.

Add salami to the pan. Let the vegetables and salami fry for 2–3 minutes. Keep stirring to keep them from burning.

Turn the heat down. Add herbs and chili flakes. I used dry, but you can use fresh herbs if you prefer. Add the stock cube and stir. Now add the passata di pomodoro. (The passata can be substituted for 1 can of tomatoes for a more textured soup.)

Add halved olives to the soup. Add water, stir and simmer over medium heat for 20–30 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Stir intermittently and add more water if necessary. Make sure the soup does not boil; turn down the heat if it does.

Take off heat and serve. Enjoy!

Notes:
1. This recipe can be made vegan and vegetarian by substituting the beef stock for vegetable stock and foregoing the salami.
2. This recipe serves two, but can easily be scaled to serve more. Leftover soup can be frozen.