Description
An easy, versatile soup that can be enjoyed as is, or used as a base for something like minestrone. You won’t believe how much roasting the vegetables beforehand adds to the overall flavour of the dish.
Ingredients
1kg tomatoes (preferably on the vine; ripe and red but still firm)
4 garlic cloves, peeled, but left whole
1½ red bell pepper, halved and deseeded
2 small red onions (or 1 large one), peeled and quartered
a good handful of thyme sprigs (stalks and leaves)
2 bay leaves
2 or 3 sticks of celery, cleaned and sliced
750ml of good quality vegetable or chicken stock (preferably homemade)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
- Find an oven dish that will fit all of the ingredients snugly (apart from the stock and celery). Scatter the sprigs of thyme; garlic cloves and the bay leaves in the bottom of the dish.
- Place the tomatoes (whole, still on the vine) in the dish. And add the red pepper. Add the onion.
- Make sure that everything fits snugly, but in one layer.
- Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil, and season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Roast in the oven for 1 hour, until the tomatoes are just starting to char, and there is a good amount of juice or liquid bubbling in the dish.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- While the vegetables cool, place a large pot on a medium-low heat and add a little but of olive oil and the celery. Allow the celery to cook for around 5 minutes, until soft.
- Back to the roasting dish, pick out and discard the thyme stalks and the bay leaves. Remove the tomatoes from the vine, and discard the vines.
- Add the roasted vegetables (with the yummy roasting juices!) to the pot with the celery, and add the stock. Allow the soup to come to the boil, before removing it from the heat and blending it smooth. A handheld (stick) blender is easiest for this, but you can also use a standing blender or food processor.
- Check the seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
* We like chewing on the odd little tomato seed still left in the soup after blending, but if you are after a very smooth soup, simply strain it through a sieve before serving.
* A little drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil; small dollop of basil pesto; or a sprinkling of ricotta cheese goes a long way to making the soup beautiful for serving.
* As the tomatoes are the star of the show in this soup, choose the best, most flavourful tomatoes you can find.