Recipes › Basil › Basil and Roasted Tomato Soup
Basil and Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasting the tomatoes low and slow concentrates their sweetness and gives this soup a depth you simply cannot get from a tin. A whole pot of fresh basil is stirred through at the end, turning the soup a vivid, herby red and filling the kitchen with the smell of August. This is the soup to make when your garden is drowning in both tomatoes and basil.
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Ingredients
- 60 g fresh basil, leaves and tender stems separated
- 1200 g ripe vine tomatoes, halved through the equatoror use a mix of any ripe tomatoes from the garden
- 3 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- 600 ml vegetable stock, hot
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional. Arrange the halved tomatoes cut-side up in a large roasting tin with the shallots and unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle over the olive oil, scatter with the sugar and salt, and tuck the basil stems amongst the tomatoes.About 5 min
- Roast for 55–60 minutes until the tomatoes are collapsed, caramelised at the edges, and deeply fragrant. The skins should be slightly blistered. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.About 60 min
- Squeeze the softened garlic flesh out of its skins directly into a blender. Discard the skins and the spent basil stems. Tip all the roasted tomatoes and shallots into the blender along with any juices from the tin.About 3 min
- Add 400ml of the hot stock and the fresh basil leaves to the blender. Blend on high for 60–90 seconds until completely smooth. Take care with the hot liquid — hold a folded tea towel firmly over the lid.About 2 min
- Pass the soup through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing firmly with a ladle to extract every drop of liquid and push the pulp through. Discard the solids remaining in the sieve.About 3 min
- Add the remaining 200ml of stock to the pan and warm over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the soup is piping hot. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Serve in warmed bowls with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil if you like.About 4 min
Tips
- Do not rush the roasting. Sixty minutes at a lower temperature is far better than thirty minutes at high heat — you want the tomatoes to slowly collapse and sweeten, not char and turn bitter.
- Add the basil leaves to the blender along with the hot tomatoes rather than cooking them in the soup. The residual heat is enough to wilt them and their fresh flavour stays much brighter this way.
- If your tomatoes are not particularly sweet (which can happen in a cool British summer), a teaspoon of tomato purée added in step 6 rounds things out without tasting tinned.
Ring the changes
- Stir in 150ml of coconut cream at the end for a velvety, slightly sweet version that works surprisingly well with a small handful of torn basil on top.
- For a non-vegan version, add a 50g chunk of Parmesan rind to the roasting tin with the tomatoes — it adds an extraordinary savoury depth. Remove before blending.
Keeping it
Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container. It also freezes very well for up to 3 months — freeze before the final seasoning adjustment and re-season once reheated.
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