Nothing is less appealing to me than biting into a winter tomato.  The color is right, the texture is right, but the taste is….well, the taste is just wrong.    But still, I buy them.  There they sit, forlorn on my window sill.  Yesterday, I got tired of looking at them, and decided to make a Mexican flavored soup where the tomatoes could cook down and blend with some other flavors.  The soup was fabulous.  I used homemade turkey stock (from leftover Thanksgiving bones) but you can use any kind of vegetable or chicken stock as well.

1 cup chopped onions

4 large garlic cloves, minced

3 T vegetable oil

1 t ground cumin seeds

1/2 t ground oregano

3 1/2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes (I used 4 tomatoes)

3 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, turkey)

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1. In a soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in oil about 5 minutes.  Add the cumin and oregano and saute for a few more minutes.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Cover the pot and cook gently for about 15 minutes.

3. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

4. Add the lime juice.

Serve with shredded cheese (I like Monterey Jack) and crumbled tortilla chips.