An easy to make, super flavoursome and hearty tomato soup. Roasting the tomatoes with onion, and garlic brings out an abundance of additional flavour that will be sure to impress.
John Drummond
Mise en place
Tick each one off as it goes in.
Makes 4 serves
This hearty soup will feed 4 as an entrée or 3 as a main with some fresh crusty bread.
During periods where you can’t find nice ripe tomatoes I use a 800gm can of Italian San Marzano as a replacement (your guests will never know the difference). Just make sure to drain the tomatoes before roasting, but keep the leftover juice as that goes straight into the soup once the roasting is finished.
The method
Slice tomatoes into roughly 1" slices, discarding the cores. Place the tomatoes on a lined baking tray with medium walls in a single layer.
Slice the garlic cloves lengthways into 5-6 slices per clove. Insert the garlic slivers into the tomato's, pressing them into the pulp. Season well with salt and lemon pepper (use normal cracked black pepper if you don't have any lemon). Drizzle the tomatoes with the Pomegranate Sago, If you can't source it, use a high quality caramelised or concentrated balsamic. I've experimented with Cherry Balsamic and the taste is equally as good.
Slice the onion and scatter over the top. Drizzle the entire dish with olive oil.
Roast in the middle shelf at 180 degrees for 45 minutes or until the onions caramelise and don't start to burn to much (a little black in OK)
When cooked pour all of the ingredients into a pot (or into a blender in batches if you don't have a hand blender). Add the basil leaves and blend thoroughly. If you went with the canned tomato option, add the remaining tomato juice to the mixture. Blend until the soup is of an equal consistency (no lumpy bits).
Heat the soup on the stove top and add chicken stock (or vegetable if you like) until you reach the desired consistency. Usually around 500ml. Add the ground Chipotle Pepper spice to taste. This will add a tiny bit of a kick, but also add a nice smoky flavour. Add additional sea salt and lemon pepper to taste. Remember tomatoes love salt - so don't be shy!
Serve in deep dish soup bowls and garnish with roasted cherry vine tomatoes and a swirl of olive oil.
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