Roast Tomato & Basil Soup

Everywhere I look lately I see tomato soup recipes and photo’s. This might be the reason why I was so amped to make it last week, and why my husband was so surprised to find out that I’d never made or eaten tomato soup before. I think it’s the fact that in our high school Home Economics class, the teacher always said you can’t make tomato soup in certain pots, I think it was Aluminium, because the acid in the tomatoes react with the Aluminium and this gives the soup a metallic taste. The thought of that petrified me and I was always too scared to make it. Meanwhile, we only had cast-iron and stainless steel pots and pans at home so I had no reason to really be scared of attempting this soup.

I was also nervous that my soup would taste like Marinara sauce or ketchup…I mean I love both, but I don’t want to dig into a whole bowl of it. So it took a lot of careful seasoning and tweaking to get the flavours to just where I want it. I think using Balsamic Vinegar to roast the tomatoes in made a big difference and gave the soup a lovely rich quality. Also, I used a bit of soy sauce to add body and depth to the soup. There is just nothing like soy sauce when you want richness to something. I didn’t add enough for you to really taste there was soy sauce in the soup, just enough to add the lovely savoriness I wanted from it.

The end result was a soup with a bit of sweetness, saltiness and just the right amount of acidity. It was delicious with the rustic green olive bread I served it with and please excuse the excessive use of cream and balsamic vinegar on top of the soup. I am obsessed with drizzles and swirls, but I am trying to work on this problem, I promise!

Serves 6-8

4 tins (400g each) whole, peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

2 red onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1.5l vegetable / chicken stock
100ml cream
salt & pepper to taste
fresh basil leaves, to serve

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
2. Place the tinned tomatoes and all their juices in a roasting tray and add the Balsamic, olive oil, sugar and salt. Stir to combine and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are broken down and have started caramelising slightly.
3. In a large pot, sauté the onions in some olive oil until they are translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
4. Add the roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce and sugar. Stir to combine all the ingredients and pour in the stock.
5. Lower the heat and cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup.
7. Add the cream and season to taste.
8. Serve with fresh basil leaves and crusty bread.