Seeking Solace

Is there anything more soothing than a bowl of warm tomato soup?

Tomatoes are still in season at the moment and it’s glorious to see market stalls overflowing with a vibrant abundance of sweet-smelling, ripe tomatoes in all different sizes and colours. There is surely no better way to make use of them (other than simply eating them raw) than to roast them up with some garlic and herbs and blend them in to a rich, creamy soup.

A bowl of good tomato soup will always offer a little comfort. A bowl of exceptional tomato soup, however, will reach out and soothe your very soul, evoke your innermost emotions, warm the very cockles of your heart and render you momentarily motionless and speechless in its wake. This is my recipe for the latter.

Roasted Tomato and Mascarpone Soup. Chunky and fresh, bursting with rich, ripe tomatoes, subtle undertones of garlic, thyme and basil, lovingly mellowed with a touch of creamy mascarpone.

Best enjoyed on a cold, rainy evening from the comfort of one’s own sofa, preferably positioned by a window where you can watch less fortunate people struggling with their umbrellas and being splashed with dirty water outside (it helps with the inner-warmth thing).


RECIPE

800g large Vine Tomatoes
400g small Cherry Tomatoes
1 Brown Onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled and halved
1½ tbsps Olive Oil
5 or 6 sprigs of Thyme
200mls Chicken Stock
A handful of Basil
2 Tsps Mascarpone
Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200°c. Place the onion, garlic and thyme in a roasting tin. Chop the large tomatoes in half and place in the tray along with the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle over the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, and mix together with your hands to coat everything with the oil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Heat the chicken stock. Meanwhile, wait for the tomatoes to cool slightly then peel off the skins and discard along with the thyme sprigs.

Place the contents of the baking tray into a blender, along with the basil leaves and mascarpone. Blend at a high speed whilst gradually adding the stock until you have a consistency which you are happy with.

Serve warm with crunchy ciabatta smothered in real butter.