Tomato and Basil Soup

Yesterday I was in Lidl and I was delighted to see beautiful, healthy basil plants for 99c. I love basil, it's a really versatile herb. It is great in soups, as a main ingredient in pesto, scattered over a homemade pizza and in many pasta dishes, basically anywhere you use a tomato, basil can be introduced, as tomato and basil are a real winning combination. We are now starting to see an abundance of tomatoes in the green house, however this soup is perfect made with tinned tomatoes, just make sure to add the sugar to allow for the high acidity in the tinned variety. My boys love this soup and if there is any leftover they request it over some hot pasta with a little freshly grated Parmesan.

Tomato and Basil Soup

Ingredients
knob of butter
drizzle of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 x 14 oz (400 g) tins of tomatoes
400 mls vegetable stock/ chicken stock
handful of fresh basil, roughly torn
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp sugar
4 fl ozs (120 ml) cream

Method
1. Sweat the onion and the garlic in the butter and a drizzle of olive oil on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured.
2. Add the chopped tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock.
3. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Add the basil and simmer for a further couple of mins.
4. Liquidize. Bring back to a simmer, correct seasoning and add the cream.
5. Serve with a little drizzle of cream and if you really like basil put a little spoonful of basil pesto on top of the bowl of hot soup.