Name: Tomato soup
Ingredients: 60g unsalted butter; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped (360g); 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed; 400g sweet red cherry tomatoes (ie, Datterini or similar); 4 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp (10g) basil leaves, roughly torn; 1 dried habanero chilli (optional – see introduction); 500ml vegetable or chicken stock; 2 tbsp double cream (or more, to taste); 1 simit or bagel, cut in ½ cm thick slices (130g); 2 ½ tsp curry powder; 2 tbsp olive oil; fine sea salt and black pepper

Soup Easy

Serves 4

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr

This tastes like a homemade version of a high-street classic. The habanero adds a hot, fruity and smoky complexity that we love, but remove it entirely if you want to make the dish child-friendly, and use only half if you don’t like too much heat. The spiced and crunchy simit croutons are perfect to dip into it.

Ingredients

60g	unsalted butter
3 tbsp	olive oil
2	onions, peeled and finely chopped (360g)
2	large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
400g	sweet red cherry tomatoes (ie, Datterini or similar)
4 tbsp	tomato paste
2 tbsp	(10g) basil leaves, roughly torn
1	dried habanero chilli (optional – see introduction)
500ml	vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp	double cream (or more, to taste)
SIMIT CROUTONS
1	simit or bagel, cut in ½ cm thick slices (130g)
2 ½ tsp	curry powder
2 tbsp	olive oil
	fine sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C.
Put the butter, oil, the onions and a teaspoon of salt in a large saute pan on a medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 18-20 minutes, until soft and deeply golden brown (you don’t want the onions to burn or become crisp, so lower the heat as necessary).
Meanwhile, mix the croutons ingredients in a bowl and place on a large parchment lined tray. Bake for 7 minutes until golden and crispy and set aside to cool
Add the garlic to the onions and fry, stirring, for two minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, habanero and two teaspoons of salt, and fry, stirring often, for seven minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the stock, 300ml water and a good grind of pepper, and bring up to a simmer. Turn down the heat to medium, cook for 12 minutes, then lift out the habanero and squeeze to remove any liquid.
Leave the soup to cool for 5-10 minutes, so it’s not super-hot, then transfer to a blender and blitz until completely smooth.
Divide the soup across the four bowls, spoon the cream on top and serve with the croutons alongside.