The Big Glut Recipe

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup

A nice warmer while the March weather sorts itself out. Add a dash of extra virgin olive and some fresh basil, and follow the extra tip to make it really special for four people. A House and Garden recipe

Ingredients

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 large red peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 600g (21oz) ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 1 x 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• 1l chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1tbsp chopped fresh basil, to garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil, to garnish

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, peppers, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the tinned tomatoes, the stock and 1 (250ml) cup of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Purée the soup in batches in a food processor or with a hand-held blender. Strain through a coarse sieve and add a little extra stock, if desired.
4. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot, and garnished with the basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Extra tip

Roasting the vegetables gives the soup a delicious flavour. Simply halve the onions, tomatoes and peppers, place them on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast in a 200°C (gas mark 6) oven for 60 minutes, turning the onions and peppers once. Next, peel the skin from the cooked peppers and tomatoes. Add the vegetables to the stock and continue from step 2.

Courtesy of House and Garden