Herby Tomato Soup

You’ll need: (makes 4 large bowls)

• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 leek, chopped
• Rapeseed oil
• 500g soft plum tomatoes
• 500g cherry tomatoes
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 300ml tomato juice
• Salt and pepper
• Crusty bread to serve

 

Let’s get cooking:

Preheat the oven to 200C, 180̊C fan or gas mark 6.

Sweat down the chopped garlic, onions, celery and leek in a pan with a little oil.

Roast both types of tomatoes with the rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and a drizzle of oil for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size and ripeness of the tomatoes. You want them to have a little colour and to be nice and juicy.

In a good-size pan, combine the sweated-down veg and roast tomatoes with the vinegar and tomato juice. Make sure you’ve got your pinny on as it can spit a bit at this point. Simmer on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Now it should be smelling good, so blend with a hand blender or food processor. It will be quite thick, so add water or more tomato juice to get the consistency you like.

Pass through a sieve to get rid of any herb stalks, pour into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

All recipes can be found in THE PIG book: Tales and Recipes from the Kitchen Garden and Beyond, available to buy here.