Roast Tomato Soup

The perfect recipe for displaying your produce of the summer - a roast tomato soup. Hope you like it!
-- Rubey.

Meet Atara Thom. She'll be showing us how to make roast tomato soup today, won't you Attie?
"Indeed I am. I need a soup for this evening's meal with my gentleman friend."
Yeah. Right - a boyfriend.
"Hey! I'm an elder, not dead."

INGREDIENTS

1.2kg of tomatoes; I like to use a combination of cherry and plum tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes on the vine for garnishing later.

5 peeled garlic cloves.

2 small, diced onions.

120ml of (extra-)virgin olive oil.

Salt and black pepper (freshly ground, if possible).

940ml of stock; I use vegetable, but you can also use chicken.

2 or 3 bay leaves.

50g of butter.

115ml of heavy cream.

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees celcius.

2. Wash and halve the tomatoes (Note: not including the vine tomatoes).

3. Spread all the tomatoes on a baking tray, along with the garlic and onion.

4. Drizzle with the olive oil, and season with the salt and pepper.

5. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tomatoes caramelise.

6. Transfer them to a stock pot (Note: not including the vine tomatoes - set these aside for later use).

7. Add about three quarters of the stock, the bay leaves and the butter.

8. Bring to the boil.

9. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you have reduced the contents by a third.

10. Use an immersion blender (if possible; if not, an ordindary blender will work) to puree the soup.

11. Return to a low heat.

12. Add the cream to the soup.

13. Adjust the consistency with the remaining stock, if needed.

14. Season it with the salt and pepper.

15. Garnish the serving bowl with the vine tomatoes.

Happy with the roast tomato soup, Attie?
"Yes ... and I've got enough time to get ready."

"Hello, my darling."
*jaws dropping*

"What? I told you I wasn't dead!"

We'll leave Attie and Goopy to enjoy their soup (in one way or another).

I hope you'll like it as much as them!
-- Rubey.