Roasted Tomato Soup
Did this chilled as a lunchtime snack for my wonderful Mother-in-Law when she came to visit recently, slight adaptation from a Gordon Ramsey recipe in the Times. Works perfectly well piping hot on a cold night too ; in fact there's two preparations (noted below).
Soup
2lbs-3lbs ripe tomatos, halved
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, halved
small handful thyme sprigs, leaves removed
3 tbls olive oil
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp bakers sugar
Garnish
Handful of Basil
Small Mozarella Balls
Goat Cheese Crostini
French Bread
Goat Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Grab an iron skillet, throw the olive oil in and into a pre-heated 425f oven. When it's nice and toasty, throw in the tomatoes, onions, garlic and thyme - and toss to coat in oil . . . .carefully. Sprinkle the sugar over the top to hasten caramelizing it, leave it in there for 25-35 minutes, stirring once or twice as you go.
Meanwhile in a pan on the stove, bring the chicken stock to a boil, remove the tomato mixture from the oven into a saucepan on the stove, and then pour the chicken stock from its pan over the tomato mix. Simmer for five to ten minutes. Strain the stock back into its original pan, move the tomato mix to a food processor and blitz it. Gradually then add back to the stock through the funnel until the mixture is nice and creamy (you might not need all the stock).
Here you have two choices. If you want a thick, hearty wintery soup - serve as is. For a more refined, thinner soup - especially if serving chilled - strain the soup back through a sieve again to just get the soup to a beautiful smooth texture.
Take your basil, roll the leaves up and thinly slice for a nice chiffonade. Pour the soup into bowls, place mozarella balls, and top with basil.
For the accompanying crostini ; slice the bread on a bias, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, throw it on a baking tray in the oven at 375f for five to ten minutes. When it's nice and crisp pull it out and spread the goat cheese on. It highlights the tomato soup beautifully.
Soup
2lbs-3lbs ripe tomatos, halved
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, halved
small handful thyme sprigs, leaves removed
3 tbls olive oil
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp bakers sugar
Garnish
Handful of Basil
Small Mozarella Balls
Goat Cheese Crostini
French Bread
Goat Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Grab an iron skillet, throw the olive oil in and into a pre-heated 425f oven. When it's nice and toasty, throw in the tomatoes, onions, garlic and thyme - and toss to coat in oil . . . .carefully. Sprinkle the sugar over the top to hasten caramelizing it, leave it in there for 25-35 minutes, stirring once or twice as you go.
Meanwhile in a pan on the stove, bring the chicken stock to a boil, remove the tomato mixture from the oven into a saucepan on the stove, and then pour the chicken stock from its pan over the tomato mix. Simmer for five to ten minutes. Strain the stock back into its original pan, move the tomato mix to a food processor and blitz it. Gradually then add back to the stock through the funnel until the mixture is nice and creamy (you might not need all the stock).
Here you have two choices. If you want a thick, hearty wintery soup - serve as is. For a more refined, thinner soup - especially if serving chilled - strain the soup back through a sieve again to just get the soup to a beautiful smooth texture.
Take your basil, roll the leaves up and thinly slice for a nice chiffonade. Pour the soup into bowls, place mozarella balls, and top with basil.
For the accompanying crostini ; slice the bread on a bias, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, throw it on a baking tray in the oven at 375f for five to ten minutes. When it's nice and crisp pull it out and spread the goat cheese on. It highlights the tomato soup beautifully.
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