Classic Tomato Soup
Course: SoupsCuisine: BritishDifficulty: EasyServings
4
servingsPrep time
15
minutesCooking time
1
hour30
minutesCalories
247
kcalTotal time
1
hour45
minutesA family favourite hot or cold made from fresh tomatoes with a hint of basil.
Ingredients
1 kg large ripe vine tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sugar
1 onion peeled and diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 stick celery stick cleaned and diced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
15 g fresh basil separate the leaves and stalks
600 ml vegetable stock or 2 vegetable stock cubes in 600 ml of hot water
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp pouring cream to serve
croutons optional to serve
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 190C
- cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Arrange, cut-side up, in a baking dish, drizzle with half the oil and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. .
- Bake for about 1 hour, until softened and beginning to char around the edges
- Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add the onion, carrot celery and garlic.
- Cook gently, for about 7/8 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir at regular intervals
- Chop the basil stalks and add them to the pan with the tomato puree combine well and cook for another minute.
- Add the baked tomatoes, plus any juices, to the pan plus the stock.
- Stir and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, cover and leave to simmer for 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
- Leave to cool slightly.
- Finely chop the basil leaves
- Use a stick blender or food processor to purée the soup,
- Gently does it here as you are dealing with hot liquid
- Pass the blended soup through a fine sieve(Chinoise) back into a clean pan
- Add the vinegar and season to taste stir well and reheat gently,
- Serve into soup bowls with a swirl of cream and a sprinkling of chopped basil
- nice crusty croutons go sublimely well with this soup
