A creamy cream-less tomato soup spiced with curry and cayenne, studded with poached shrimp and topped with fresh mint leaves. This soup tastes delicious warm or at room temperature.
Place the tomato halves on a rimmed metal baking sheet, drizzle with oil and season with a teaspoon of kosher salt and lots of coarse freshly ground black pepper. Slide the tomatoes onto the middle rack of your preheated oven and roast for 45 minute to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, melt the butter (or add oil) in a deep-sided pan. Once melted, add in the chopped vegetables and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender. Add in the garlic, cook for a minute longer before adding in the curry. Remove off of the heat until the tomatoes are done.
In a high-powered blender or food processor; add the shrimp stock (I start with 2 cups and add more later if necessary, depending on how thin you want it), sherry wine, roasted tomatoes (seeds and all), curried vegetables and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Blend until smooth.
Pour the soup back into the pan and season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Add in the chopped shrimp and heat until warmed through.
Serve in small soup bowls with fresh mint leaves and more black pepper.
How I Cooked My Shrimp: When I made my shrimp stock, after I strained it, I poured it back into the pot and brought it to a boil. Then I added in the raw shrimp, replaced the cover and pulled it off the heat to poach for 10 minutes until fully cooked.