Most recipes using canned tomatoes call for you to fully drain all the juices. I used to just drain these into the sink, until I learned better. Now I save the juices.

I pour the can into a mesh sieve placed over a bowl, give the tomatoes a couple of minutes to drain, use them, and store the leftover juices in the refrigerator.

After you have a good quantity, all you have to do is boil it down. I put a little olive oil in a saucepan over low heat, add a clove or two of minced/pressed garlic, and cook slightly (less than a minute). Then I pour in the juice, stir, and bring to a boil.

Once it is boiling, reduce the heat so you maintain a good boil without overflowing the pan. Keep boiling. Boil boil boil. You’ll keep boiling until it reaches the consistency you want — something like tomato soup.

If you continue boiling, it becomes syrup-like, so you can use it for dipping breadsticks in. Or, as I found out yesterday, it can turn into the worlds easiest tomato soup. Just garlic, oil, and leftover juices — boiled down to the essence of the tomato. You end up with a surprisingly bright strong tomato flavor. I have never been a tomato soup eater, but I would certainly eat this simple mixture.