Perfect Tomato Soup

First something to listen to: Govi Andalusian Nights

The summer is here. I love it. The fresh mornings when grass is still moist, air crisp, the sunny day ahead. I wake up early to enjoy those quiet fresh mornings that are even better with the smell of some freshly ground brewing coffee and a pie or scones baking in the oven. I remember my parents’ garden, I used to walk barefoot on the grass, hanging my favourite dress to dry on the clothes line and picking up sweet cherries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and green peppers, juicy tomatoes or crunchy cucumbers. Nothing beats these flavours.
Later on, I would lounge on the blanket, reading and listening to music, or maybe go for a walk to put my feet in the refreshing river nearby or ride a bike to visit a friend. Dinner consisted of my mom’s open face sandwiches piled with cheese, cold cuts, boiled eggs and crunchy lettuce, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, radishes and fresh chives. I could eat so many of those. Where are those times? Here in the city it is hard to find a moment of solitude. We are always surrounded by people, we feel we need to shop, redecorate, organize, go to concerts, events; there is so much to do all the time! Why don’t we spend a day at the park instead the mall? Do we really need another pair of white summer pants, because they are such a great deal?
It sounds like I need some holidays and yes, I will be taking those soon. In the meantime it is time for some seasonal cooking. Cherries, strawberries, fresh veggies and lots of herbs from the garden. The other day I picked up some rhubarb and the girl in the store asked me what it was because no one ever buys it! Yes, most people treat is as a weed growing in their garden but I actually pay for it! If you do have it in your garden and are about to throw some out, send it my way! Fruit crumbles or cobblers are my favourite to bake in the summer. They are so perfect when still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The same goes for slightly sautéed veggies and veggie soups. My recent favorites are cream of asparagus that I wrote about here and tomato soup. I hardly ever used to make tomato soup, I could not justify buying few kg of tomatoes, and you need good quality ones to make a nice soup. And then it dawned on me. Each store has fruit and veggies they want to get rid of fast. They usually come in huge bags and look like they need to be used right now! And this is how I got the idea for the soup.



The Best Tomato Soup

Recipe from The Guardian

Felicity Cloake

1 kg ripe tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sugar
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small bunch of basil, separated into stalks and leaves
600 ml chicken or veggie stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream
extra virgin oive oil, to serve


Preheat the oven to 190C and cut the tomatoes in half, horizontally. Arrange, cut-side up, in a baking dish, drizzle with half the olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Bake for about an hour until softened and slightly charred.

Heat the rest of the oil in a pot, add the onion, garlic and carrot. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirr frequently. Add the basil stalks, chopped.


Add the tomatoes plus any juices from the dish to the pan along with the stock. Bring to boil, lower heat to medium and cook for about 25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.


Use a blender to puree, stir in vinegar and creme fraiche. Serve with torn basil leaves and drizzle of oilve oil.

ENJOY!