Tomato soup recipe: Rich roasted tomato soup

Roasting tomatoes in their skins gives them a deep, full flavour and fills the kitchen with a wonderfully appetising aroma. This low-fat tomato soup takes 45 minutes to make, but most of that is roasting time and the recipe couldn’t be simpler.

If you can, use fresh home-grown tomatoes for the best flavour. If you have to buy them, use your nose – if the tomatoes on offer don’t smell strong, don’t buy them. This nearly always means paying a bit more, but the difference it makes to the soup is astonishing.

Roasted tomato soup recipe

500g ripe tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)

2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

1 carrot, scrubbed and roughly chopped

½ an onion (red if possible), chunked

1 or 2 garlic cloves, whole

A few stalks of fresh basil

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

300ml vegetable stock

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 (200°C)
2. Put all the vegetables into a non-stick baking tray, including the basil stalks but not the leaves. Keep them in reserve.
3. Drizzle the veg with the olive oil, and season well.
4. Roast the veg for half an hour or so.
5. Add the hot stock and basil leaves, and blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
6. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche or sprinkle with toasted seeds, and a slice of fresh bread.

This soup freezes well for up to three months – but there’s rarely any left!
Image courtesy neil conway on Flickr