Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is warming, comforting and full of good vitamins. It’s also very easy to make.

Note: this recipe does not make a Heinz-style tomato soup but one that tastes of tomato. It scales up easily – double or triple, store in the fridge for four days, or freeze and store for six months. Tubs from bought fresh soup are great for storing home-made soup. A full tub usually serves two people.

Makes 2 portions. Prep: 5 minutes. Cooking: 40 minutes.
Stores: In the fridge for 3-4 days in a closed container/ In the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tools

• Chopping board
• Knife
• Tin opener
• Pan
• Pan lid (optional)
• Stick blender (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil, or the same of butter
• 2 tin of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tin-full water
• Seasoning

Method

1. Skin and finely chop the onion.
2. Skin and roughly chop the garlic clove.
3. Heat the oil in the pan.
4. When hot, add the onion and garlic and lower the temperature.
5. Stir pretty constantly until the onions are transparent and soft. Don’t let it brown.
6. Open the tin of tomato and pour into the pan.
7. Fill the tin with water from the tap (which also rinses out any bits and pieces of tomato stuck to the sides) and add to the pan.
8. Stir, cover with a lid to stop splatters, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
9. Season.
10. Whiz with the stick blender to the preferred smoothness.

Variations

• Add a table spoon of créme fraiche at the end, to get a milder flavour.
• Finely chop a few basil leaves and sprinkle over the soup when serving, with a small drizzle of olive oil.
• Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika for a deep, mellow flavour.
• Whiz really fine when serving as a starter, and serve with garlic bread.
• Don’t whiz at all when serving for lunch, and serve with chunky cheese on toast.
• Add the juice of a lime, fresh chilli to taste and a handful of chopped coriander to make a salsa-style soup.
• If you really like Heinz, whiz until completely smooth, add a couple of table spoons of cream and a teaspoon of sugar. It’s not exactly the same thing, but that takes it most of the way there.