Roast Tomato & Basil Soup

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg vine tomatoes, halved
• 2 red onions, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 800 ml hot vegetable stock
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 15 g fresh basil, leaves picked
• 1 ciabatta loaf, cubed for croutons
• 25 g butter, melted
• 100 g dried red lentils, rinsed
• 200 g rocket, dressed with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus 30 g shaved parmesan

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Tip the halved tomatoes, quartered onions, quartered pepper and unpeeled garlic cloves onto a large baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic, and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss so everything is glossy, then spread out in a single layer; crowd the tray and they'll steam instead of catching.
2. Roast for 30–35 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed with caramelised edges, the pepper is slumping, and the garlic skins are golden and soft to the squeeze.
3. Squeeze the roasted garlic flesh out of its skins into a heavy pot and add the roasted vegetables along with any sticky juices from the tray; that's pure flavour. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, the rinsed red lentils and the hot vegetable stock.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 18–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely soft and starting to disappear into the liquid. Stir in the tomato purée and caster sugar; the sugar isn't sweetness, it's there to round off the acidity of the tin.
5. Blend until very smooth with a stick blender, or in batches in a jug blender, then return to the pot. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes until glossy and silky.
6. While the soup simmers, toss the ciabatta cubes with the melted butter and a pinch of salt, spread in a single layer on a tray, and bake for 8–10 minutes at 200°C until deeply golden and crisp right through. Soft in the middle means soggy in the bowl.
7. Tear most of the basil leaves and stir them through the hot soup off the heat; the residual warmth releases the oils without cooking the green out of them.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls, scatter over the reserved basil leaves, and pile the warm buttery croutons on top. Serve immediately, while the croutons still crackle.