Tomato soup with love heart toast

Serves:

Ingredients

• 2kg ripe tomatoes, sliced in half and cores cut out
• 1 head garlic, unpeeled
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons extra
• 2 x 400gm can diced tomatoes
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Drizzle garlic in oil then wrap in foil. Place tomatoes on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes with the garlic.

When the tomatoes are cooked, bring a large, heavy-based saucepan to medium heat and then add two tablespoons oil and onions. Sauté until soft, then add roasted tomatoes, cans of tomatoes, roasted garlic removed from skins, stock, and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and allow to simmer uncovered, for twenty minutes or until it thickens.

Blend in a food processor or using a bar mix, and return to saucepan to simmer for another ten minutes.

Just before you serve soup, make toast and cut out hearts using a cookie-cutter. Serve soup immediately with a dollop of sour cream, and buttered hearts.

Note

• I like to indulge and use vine-ripened tomatoes. The smell reminds me of when I was little and used to pick the tomatoes from my mother’s garden (sometimes too early!)
• While the soup simmers, you could place ½ cup basil in a mortar and pestle, sprinkle with salt, pour in 1/3 cup olive oil and bash together. Drizzling this over the soup adds a lovely flavour and is a little more grown-up.
• You can also add a teaspoon of crushed chili from the jar as you are cooking the onions if you want a spicy version for adults.
• Try poaching a few eggs, and drop them in to warmed leftover soup to serve over toast for breakfast the next day.
• This recipe was created by Kristine Duran-Thiessen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder

Serving Suggestions

Note