Tomato And Roast Garlic Soup

This is my own recipe, invented because we had a glut of tomatoes...its soooo yummy, and what's more, really easy too!!

Tomato And Roast Garlic Soup

Pile of homegrown tomatoes (I used several different varieties)

2 Bulbs of Garlic (yes, I do mean two BULBS!!)

1 Onion - your choice, red or white

Basil paste or fresh basil

Really really good olive oil (why bother with the cheap stuff, its vile!)

Salt - I really like the 'raw' nuggets of salt rather than the processed stuff

Pepper

A little vegetable stock

A lovely crusty loaf of bread.

Heat up your oven to hot, hot, hot.

Line your oven grillpan (without the grill) with tin foil and sprinkle with salt and olive oil

Chop your tomatoes into rough quarters, chop your onion into smaller bits, then throw over your garlic in their segments but not peeled over the top.

Splash with more olive oil, salt and some pepper.

Put the whole pan into the oven and roast, roast until your tastebuds can't take it any more.  You are looking for the tomatoes to soften, for the garlic to cook inside their papery selves, and for the onion to sweeten.  I'd say about 30 - 45 mins should do it.

Test the garlic to make sure its properly roasted - can you squeeze the segment out of its wrapping and can you mush it with a fork or spoon?  If so, its probably done.  If not, put it all back into the oven.  You really need the garlic to roast properly or you won't have any friends for the next two weeks.

I use my wok for the next bit. 

Take your lovely tomato, garlic and onion mushy stuff and start spooning the tomatoes and onion into your wok over a low heat. 

When all those are in, its time to play with your garlic - the segments should pop out of their clove-wrappings quite easily just with a squeeze with a fork - when you've squeezed half of them out, put them in your tomato mixture in the wok - leave the rest in the grillpan and put that aside.

Pour some boiling water into your wok along with the tomato mixture - add some good vegetable stock - I like Marigold, but you don't need much because the flavour is already good so don't go overboard with the stock.  Cook for say - ten mins.  

Then I use my liquidiser and whizz the soup up so it becomes smooth - return to the pan and keep warm over a low heat.

Slice your crusty loaf.  

Go back to the grillpan which is still covered with olive oil, bits of onion, tomato and half of your garlic segments, squeeze the remainder of the garlic out of their clove casings, and rub them into the remaining tomato mixture

...then just wipe your bread over this, both sides, so it picks up all the good stuff that is left (you will have taken the garlic clove casings out already of course)....

then on a clean grill or baking tray, lay your bread out and put it in the oven for about ten mins until it starts to toast and go crunchy.

Serve out the soup with the yummy crusty bread. 

If you've got the roasting right, the garlic will have cooked through and you won't stink.  If you haven't - ah well, garlic is so good for you....