Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

So red and fresh! (photo by Ashley)

Soup season is upon us! I wanted to make a brand new soup for my first soup of the season, and I’ve hit the jackpot. This may well be the BEST soup I’ve ever made. I’ve made roasted tomato soup a few times, and it’s NEVER been this good. It’s rich, smooth, and full of fresh flavour. Best of all, it’s very healthy! Don’t be too put off by the garlic – it’s definitely doesn’t overwhelm the soup and you won’t reek of garlic afterwards. If you’re a garlic fan, why not stick in a whole bulb? I think it would only improve…!

I tend to make soup in big batches and then eat throughout the week, but this one would probs serve about 4 people if you’re going to make it for more than just you.

You will need:

  • 15 large tomatoes (I use on the vine because they have lovely flavour)
  • 2 large red peppers
  • 8-10 large cloves of garlic
  • 4 small cooking onions
  • Handful fresh basil
  • 2 dessert spoons of green pesto
  • 2 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
  • 1tbsp mixed herbs
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

What to do:

  1. First of all, line a large, deep roasting tray (I used the one I use for roasting chickens) with foil, and preheat your oven to 200Âșc.
  2. Next, chop all your tomatoes into quarters and pop in the tray. Chop and deseed the red peppers, removing all the white pithy bits, and cut into quarters. Stick those in the tray with the tomatoes.
  3. Cut the ends off your cloves of garlic and peel, then throw those in (whole) with the tomatoes and peppers. Drizzle a couple of glugs of olive oil over the top, and season well. Sprinkle the mixed herbs over the top and use your hands to toss it around a bit so everything’s evenly covered. The veggies will be overlapping each other a lot but that’s ok.
  4. Now, pop the tray in the oven.
  5. While that’s doing its thing, chop up your onions quite finely and pop them in a large soup/stock saucepan with a bit of oil. Leave them there (cold) for now.
  6. After 20 mins, carefully take the tomatoes etc out of the oven and use a wooden spatula to turn them over and mix them around a bit. Pop back in the oven.
  7. Repeat after 30 mins. The liquid in the tomatoes will have come out, so it will all look a bit wet. Don’t worry – it’s meant to.
  8. Repeat again after 15 mins. Then, pop your chopped onions on the hob and brown lightly, keeping the onions moving so they don’t burn, You want to them to have a bit of colour, but you don’t want them to go black.
  9. When the onions are looking good, turn the heat right down and then remove the tomatoes, peppers and garlic from the oven. CAREFULLY transfer all the veggies and juices into your onion pan. It will probably start spitting and bubbling rapidly. Just stir it gently until it calms down. Then add the pesto and tomato puree.
  10. Boil your kettle and pour in what would be roughly a glass of water. Stir. Tear up your basil and pop that in too. Cook for 2-3 mins. Take off the heat.
  11. Now, using a handheld blender, whizz up the veggie mix until it becomes very smooth. You can add more water if you want – depends how you like your consistency. If you end up making it too watery, stick it back on the (high) heat for a while (and stir constantly). It will reduce.
  12. Serve with a fresh basil leaf or two or a swirl of cream for some decoration. Enjoy!

 

Best soup ever. (photo by Ashley)

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