Roasted Tomato Soup with Pistou Sauce

Ingredients for the Pistou Sauce:

1. 30g Basil leaves

2. 2 Cloves of Garlic

3. 80ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4. Pinch of Salt

Ingredients for the Roasted Tomato Soup:

1. 1.3 kg Tomatoes

2. 2 Red Onions

3. 4 Cloves of Garlic

4. 1 Medium Red Chilli

5. 1 tbsp Thyme Leaves

6. 4 tbsp Olive Oil

7. 6 Anchovy Fillets

8. 800lm Vegetable Stock

9. Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180*.

2. Peel and thickly slice the red onions and garlic. Half the red chilli.

3. Half the tomatoes and place in a large bowl along with the onion, garlic, chilli and thyme leaves. Add the oil and toss well to coat the tomatoes. Scatter the contents of the bowl into a large roasting tin, making sure the tomatoes aren’t too crowded.

4. Roast for 1 hour, staring occasionally. The tomatoes should take on some charred edges and give off a lot of moisture.

5. Meanwhile prepare the pistou sauce. Blanch the basil in boiling water for 3-5 seconds, to cook and fixate the chlorophyll, and so keep its bright green colour. Stop the cooking by plunging it into iced water. Drain, squeeze out any excess water and place in the blender.

6. Crush the garlic and add to the blender along with the olive oil and salt. Blitz using the pulse button, purée all the ingredients until smooth. Set a side until ready to serve.

7. Returning to the roasted tomatoes: pour everything, juices and all, into a large pan. Add the anchovies and stocked. Simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes.

8. Blitz the soup in a blender until smooth.

9. Serve in a bowl with a topping of pistou sauce.

10. Enjoy!