Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Basil Oil

Ingredients

• 4 red peppers, halved and deseeded
• 800 g vine tomatoes, halved
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 100 g dried red lentils, rinsed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 700 ml hot vegetable stock
• 1 x 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 30 g basil leaves
• 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
• ½ lemon, juice only
• 10 g basil leaves, torn
• Fine salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Arrange the peppers cut-side down, the tomatoes cut-side up, and the onion, carrot and unpeeled garlic across a large tray. Drizzle with the olive oil, add the smoked paprika and chilli flakes, season well and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pepper skins are blackened and the tomatoes are jammy at the edges.
2. Meanwhile, simmer the lentils in the vegetable stock for 18 to 20 minutes, until completely soft.
3. Make the basil oil. Blend the 30 g basil with the extra virgin olive oil, small garlic clove and lemon juice until vivid green. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside; boiling this oil would dull both its colour and flavour.
4. Peel away the loose blackened pepper skins and squeeze the roasted garlic from its papery skins. Add all the roasted vegetables and tray juices to the lentils with the tomato purée, then blend until completely smooth.
5. Stir in the cannellini beans and simmer for 5 minutes, until they are hot and the soup coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add salt or black pepper if needed.
6. Ladle into warm bowls, drizzle over the basil oil and finish with the torn basil leaves.