Elevate your tomato soup with this mouth-watering recipe.
Make this soup near the end of the summer when tomatoes and capsicums are plentiful. It freezes well and is also a cheering stalwart for winter meals.
SERVES: 4-6
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
COOK TIME: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large fennel bulb, peeled
- 1 red onion
- 2 red capsicums (peppers), halved and deseeded
- 500g (1lb) tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, in their skins
- 1½ tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves only
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp nigella seeds
- 400ml (14fl oz) passata
- 1 litre (2 pints) vegetable stock
- 1 red chilli, split and deseeded
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- handful of fennel leaves
METHOD
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Cut the fennel and onion into wedges. Slice a cross into the base of each tomato and squeeze the juice and seeds into a bowl. Strain the juice and set aside.
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Line a roasting tin with baking parchment and add the fennel, onion, capsicums, tomatoes, and garlic cloves. Sprinkle over the sugar, drizzle with the olive oil, and scatter the rosemary on top. Roast the vegetables for about 1 hour, until the tomatoes are soft. Cool the vegetables before peeling the blackened skin from the capsicums. Peel the garlic and discard the skins.
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Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and toss in the fennel and nigella seeds, swirling them around for a few seconds. Pour over the passata, the stock, and the reserved tomato juice, and bring to the boil. Add the roasted vegetables, pop the chilli into the pan, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Half cover with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes.
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Using a blender, whizz the soup until smooth, and press through a sieve. Reheat, re-season, and finish with a sprinkling of fennel leaves.