Name: Homemade Tomato Soup
Prep time: 31 min
Cook time: 73 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.125 kg tomatoes (ripe, quartered and cored); 1 null onion (medium, finely chopped); 1 null carrot (small, finely chopped); 1 stalk celery (finely chopped); 2 tbsp olive oil (for sautéing); 2 tsp tomato puree (concentrated); 1 pinch white sugar (to balance acidity); 2 null bay leaves (dried); 1.2 litre vegetable stock (hot, prepared from powder or cubes); 0.5 tsp black pepper (freshly ground); 1 pinch sea salt (to taste); 2 tbsp vegan cooking cream (optional, for serving)

Instructions

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1

Prepare your vegetables: quarter tomatoes (1.125 kg) and remove cores. Finely chop onion (1), carrot (1), and celery (1 stalk).
2

Heat olive oil (2 tbsp) in a large heavy-based pan over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, cooking for 10 minutes until soft and faintly colored.
3

Stir in tomato puree (2 tsp) followed by the tomatoes. Add white sugar (1 pinch), black pepper (0.5 tsp), and bay leaves (2). Cover and stew for 10 minutes until tomatoes shrink and release their juices.
4

Pour in vegetable stock (1.2 litre). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for 25 minutes until tomatoes are slushy.
5

Discard the bay leaves (2). Ladle the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth. Check for consistency; add more stock if too thick.
6

Return soup to the pan and reheat over medium heat. Season with sea salt (1 pinch) if needed. Serve hot in bowls, optionally swirled with vegan cooking cream (2 tbsp).