Red Onion & Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

Red Onion & Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

Yes, yes, I know it's not tomato season so I really shouldn't be making this, but I am generally pretty good when it comes to buying seasonal ingredients (you won't see me touch an apple in the summer, for example). The thing is, it's starting to feel like spring outside and the Mediterranean flavours of this soup just remind me of warmer days (cue a sudden cold spell and all the early budding flowers being wiped out in a mass icy cull). The recipe comes from New Covent Garden Soup Company's Soup & Beyond. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1.35kg cherry tomatoes
3 large garlic cloves, quartered
3 red onions, 2 finely sliced, 1 chopped
1 large handful basil leaves
4 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 heaped tsp dark brown sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml boiling water

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Place the tomatoes in a shallow roasting tin, along with the garlic and the chopped onion. Scatter over half a dozen basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Coat well with three-quarters of the olive oil and roast for 50-60 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and beginning to brown.
2. Melt the butter and gently fry the sliced onions until they are tender and caramelised (about 10 minutes). Add the balsamic and the sugar and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Purée the cooked tomatoes with a little water in a liquidiser or food processor and pass through a fine sieve. Add the purée and any remaining water to the onions and taste for seasoning. Tear the remaining basil leaves and stir into the soup. Reheat gently and serve.