My brother & I are always talking about food. Always. He even calls me Janet (The Gannet). The cheek of it!
He was describing this magnificent tomato & basil soup that his lovely wife, Lindsay, made one night. Well… I was salivating! I immediately requested the recipe.
Giving Lindsay a slow cooker cookbook for Xmas totally reignited my own love of slow cooking, so I decided to incorporate her soup recipe into a slow cooker dish, which I’d like to submit to Janice (from the delectable Farmersgirl Kitchen)’s Slow Cooker Challenge of January 2013, which is Soup themed!
Here is the recipe, adapted only very slightly (you know what I’m like!):
Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
- 2 x onions, diced
- 2 x cloves garlic, minced
- 5 x fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 2 x tins tomatoes (I used plum)
- 1 x 500g carton passata
- 1 x tbsp dried basil
- 1 x tbsp dried oregano
- 1 x tbsp hot paprika (if you fancy a kick)
- 1 x tbsp sugar
- 1 x pint stock (I used 2 vegetable cubes)
- fresh basil
- salt & pepper
- grated parmesan (optional)
I switched my slow cooker on to “high” and added my tomatoes (fresh and tinned), herbs & spices, salt & pepper, sugar, onions and garlic. I tore up 10 basil leaves and sprinkled in too.
Next went in the passata and stock. Giving everything a good, thorough stir, I closed the lid and left to simmer throughout the day (around 5 hours).
This part is optional, but I wanted my soup extra smooth. I ran it through a sieve to get out any bits.
Once silky and glossy, I checked for seasoning and added a little more salt & pepper, and another 10 fresh basil leaves. I also (at the last minute) decided to add 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese to give it another depth of flavour.
I can completely relate to my brother’s insistence on this soup’s magnificence. The lovely, tomatoey scent wafted through the house all day, and I couldn’t wait to sit down to it with some warm, crusty, buttery bread. Divine.
This is a delicious, healthy meal, and suitable for vegetarians (omit/check the parmesan). What’s more, it’s very freezer friendly. Make a big batch for your work lunches, and see if any soup makes it to the freezer!
Once again, thank you to my SIL, Lindsay, for the fabulous recipe.
Enjoy
