This Tuscan Tomato Soup is a wonderfully delicious and easy soup to make. A simple combination of olive oil, tomatoes, bread and basil. When eaten cold in summer, it makes a delightfully refreshing lunch or starter. Eaten warm on a winters evening, it brings back memories of sunlight and the smells and flavours of summer.
ingredients:
800 g
tinned tomatoes
500 g
cherry tomatoes
500 g
ciabatta in chunks
500 ml
water
6 tablespoons
olive oil extra virgin
0.5 teaspoon
brown sugar
3 cloves
garlic sliced thinly
1 bunch
basil
pepper freshly ground
servings
method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Place the cherry tomatoes in a flat ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with brown suger, 1 table spoon of olive oil, salt & freshly ground black pepper. Roll them around until covered in oil and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes.
- In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the finely chopped basil stalks and garlic until the garlic is soft, add the water and the tinned tomatoes and break them up a little. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Add the bread and most of the basil leaves to the pot, salt and pepper and continue to simmer gently for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove the dish with the cherry tomatoes from the oven and scrape the contents into the pot. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and mix the soup gently. Add a little more water if you think the soup is too thick.
- Serve hot or cold and garnish with the remaining basil leaves.
