Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2.2 lbs (1 kg) cherry tomatoes (on the vine)
  • 4 cloves garlic (skins still on)
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme
  • 8 round shallots or 4 banana shallots (roughly sliced)
  • 1 small knob butter
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small bunch fresh basil (roughly chopped)
  • 2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock (good quality)

Instruction

  • Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F).
  • Wash and dry fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes (any colour, I like a mix) and take them off the vine if still attached. Add them to a baking tray with 4 large cloves of garlic (crushed with the back of a knife but skins still on), thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil.
  • Roast them in the oven until the garlic is soft and the tomatoes are soft and juicy (around 30 minutes).
  • Meanwhile, add butter and oil to a saucepan and saute the shallots on a low heat until soft and deep brown, do not rush this part it will take around 15-20 minutes.
  • Once the tomatoes are roasted remove the garlic skins and discard then add the roasted tomatoes and garlic with any juice to the onions. Add vegetable stock then bring to a boil.
  • Turn off the heat and blitz the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender (handheld) alternatively carefully ladle it into a blender making sure not to overfill it. Finally add some freshly chopped basil before serving.
  • Top Tip: The soup will be smooth but the seeds from the tomatoes will remain. If you'd rather have a completely silky smooth soup them pass it through a sieve before serving to remove any seeds.