by David Lawrence

Created on: August 04, 2008

EASY (AND CHEAP) TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP

Last winter I really fancied some tomato soup but I didn't want a weak-flavoured tin of soup. I wanted to have something with a bit more taste so I scoured my recipe books and looked online for something that would be quick but would also taste good. The following recipe is a combination of the best bits of these recipes with a couple of tweaks.

SERVES: 3-4

TIME TO COOK: 45 minutes to 1 hour including preparation

APPARATUS:
Large saucepan
Measuring Jug
Hand-blender

INGREDIENTS:
Cooking Oil
1 dessert spoon of butter
1 medium onion
1 large potato
400g tin of tomatoes
2 dessert spoons of tomato pure
1 dessert spoon of chopped basil
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire sauce (preferably Lea & Perrins)
Single Cream

RECIPE:
1. Dice the onion and the potato, not too small as they give the soup a lovely texture
2. Pour the juice from the tin of tomatoes into a measuring jug and add water to make the juice mix up to 500ml (just over 2 cups)
3. Gently heat the diced onion in the butter and a little oil for about 5 minutes
4. Add the diced potato and allow to cook slowly for 10 minutes
5. Add the tomato juice mix to the onion and potatoes in the pan and stir for a minute or so
6. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan
7. Stir in 2 dessert spoons of tomato pure
8. Add 1 dessert spoon of chopped basil, 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic, a few splashes of Lea & Perrins' or your chosen Worcestershire sauce, a generous pinch of salt and some pepper
9. Allow to simmer uncovered until the potato is soft
10. Blend until smooth using a hand-blender (you can use a full-size blender and then return it to the pan)
11. Pour into 3-4 bowls, add a swirl of cream to each and serve immediately

TIPS:
I prefer to have a well-seasoned soup so I tend to be generous with the salt, pepper and Lea & Perrins to achieve this. You could also experiment with a little chilli sauce at this stage to give the soup a bit of a kick.
After you have blended the soup leave it simmering for a while (5-10 minutes or longer) and you get a thicker soup as it reduces which tastes stronger, and in my opinion nicer. The only drawback is that this makes the soup only enough for 1 large or 2 smaller servings.
The swirl of cream makes a real difference; it is not just for show. If you don't believe me then try it both with and without.
I enjoy having this soup with a freshly-baked, buttered bread roll.

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