Serves 2
Ingredients
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 onion (roughly chopped)
• Garlic (optional)
• 1 tbs plain flour
• 600g vegetable stock
• 450g/1lb tomatoes
• 1 tbs tomato puree
• Fresh or dried/basil
• Salt & pepper to taste
Method
1) Melt butter into a saucepan. Add onion and fry gently until softened, (add garlic also)
2) Add tbs of flour, and stir and fry on a low heat, stirring until a sandy texture, be careful not to burn!
3) Add the stock, a little at a time, whisking to keep smooth, until all the stock has been added, then add the tomatoes and the tomato puree
4) Cover and simmer on the lowest heat, for ½ to 1 hour, until the tomatoes are well and truly softened and the colour is nice and even. Be sure to stir a few times to prevent sticking.
5) You now need to sieve the soup, pushing with the back of a wooden spoon, stirring and scraping, to get all the juices through, then discard the pips, onion and peel.
6) Return to heat for a minute or so, and add basil, salt and pepper to taste
