Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup

by di Mar 29, 2015 0 comments

There's something about tomato soup that just makes me breathe a bit easier.
It's warm and fuzzy and reminds me of my childhood and it makes all the bad things seem insignificant.

There's also something about roasted tomatoes that takes them to a different level flavor wise.
Regular tomatoes are sweet, fresh and delicious but when you roast them the flavors are intensified, the sweetness caramelised and there's a different depth to the soup.

I had a glut of tomatoes last summer and rather than make sauces and soups then and there I roasted them and froze them in tubs to be used when I needed them.
Consequently, this winter, I have been making a lot of soup variations from them.

Tomatoes are cheap though and you don't have to break the bank when buying them. I often buy a crate at the market here in France or the supermarket will sell bulk Spanish tomatoes in nets. I'm not too precious by the fact that they are all the same shape and size, they are fresh and they taste good, especially when roasted.

I pass my Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup through a sieve to take out the skins and seeds but you can keep it chunky if that's your thing - either way this soup tastes great.

I garnished my Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup with fresh chives as they are in season but fresh basil or parsley works just as well

Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 Onion - roughly chopped
1 stick of Celery - roughly chopped
1 clove of Garlic - roughly chopped
500g fresh Tomatoes - roughly chopped
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1 pinch Dried Oregano
Olive Oil

2 tbsp heavy Cream or Creme Fraiche
Vegetable stock or water
Salt and Pepper to taste

The Mix:

Turn your oven to 180°c fan assist or equivalent
In a large bowl put onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes, oregano and sugar
Drizzle with olive oil and mix well making sure everything is coated with the oil
Place into a baking dish (single layer) and place in oven - Roast for 30 minutes

Once roasted, transfer tomato mixture from baking dish into a blender or a container for hand blending
Blend mixture until smooth then add enough stock/water to reach your desired consistency (don't make it too runny at this point)
Pass the mixture through a sieve using a spatula to push the pulp through (you should be left with skins and seeds which you can throw away)
Place mixture into a saucepan and turn heat to medium
Bring back to the boil, add cream and mix through
Adjust seasoning and consistency (if needed)

Then you're good to go - enjoy with crusty bread and a side of crumbly goats cheese

Drink This:

For something different try this Torrontés from Argentina.

Food 2017: