Roasted Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is often associated with a can. Well, it was in my house growing up. It was a Sunday night “tea” when the cupboards were probably a bit light on, before the start of the week, and maybe when Mum’s enthusiasm was waning. I feel like I remember eating it in my pyjama’s with hot buttered toast. They are good memories. And even though it was in a can, it always seemed quite nice to me.
Of course, you can take most things from a can to a new level by making them yourself. The flavour of this roasted tomato soup is intense but still somehow zingy and fresh. Roasting the tomatoes brings out the flavour and makes them sweet and delicious but that is not the only reason we roast them. It’s also a super easy way to make a soup with very little effort. You can apply this same technique to pumpkin chunks or mushrooms - roasting them first and then combining them with stock and some other bits and pieces before pureeing into the hearty bowl ready goodness.
All soups freeze well so it’s great as a back up dinner down the track - the new homemade replacement for the trusty can from my childhood.
When it comes to using the Combi-Steam here, I find the Steam is very helpful. Combined with the heat from the fan and element you get the lovely roasty caramelisation without losing all the moisture - which of course for a soup is beneficial.
So chuck it all into a roasting pan and let the oven do most of the work. Then dip that toast in and enjoy!
Serves 4-6
1.5kg tomatoes (whatever takes your fancy or a mixture)
1 head garlic (halved through the middle crossways)
8 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
2 medium brown onions (peeled and halved)
500ml vegetable stock
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
sour cream and dukkah to serve (if desired)
To Make:
Place the tomatoes (chop in half if any are really large), onions pieces, garlic halves, thyme and rosemary into a large roasting dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic. Season well with salt and pepper.
Place the dish into the Combi-Steam oven. Select Hot Air with Steaming (Combination Steam) and set the temperature to 160°C. For variable steam select 30%. Cook for 45 minutes or until very soft and squishy.
Remove from the oven and take out the sprigs from the herbs, leaving the leaves if you can. Carefully (let it cool if you need to) squeeze the garlic flesh out of the bulbs and add to the tomatoes.
Transfer the tomato mixture into a large pot. Add the stock and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Blend to your desired consistency using a stick blender or a jug blender.
Return to the pot, if needed, and heat over medium heat until hot and serve in bowls dolloped with sour cream and spinkled with dukkah if using. Serve alongside hot buttered toast.
A little bit of nostalgia for me here. But we’ve added a little CSQ sparkle and shine and dressed it up so it glows with new life.
I hope you enjoy it. Don’t forget to take the concept and try it with some pumpkin or whole mushies in place of the tomatoes. It should work like a charm.
Happy Combi-Steaming!
Yours in the kitchen,
The CSQ. x