Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup With Sautéed Figs
Ingredients
- vegetable stock or a (good) stock cube
- 2-3 ripe beef or plum tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion
- a splash of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 3-4 ripe figs
- a knob of butter
- fresh goat's cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Start your vegetable stock by adding whatever veg you have to hand with a handful of herbs and spices to a pan. I made this one with carrots, white turnips, leeks, a stick of celery and a bunch of parsley (leaves and stems) plus a large pinch of fennel seeds
- Boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Strain off the solids and keep back the stock
- Meanwhile roast the tomatoes whole or halved if they're very large, and garlic, skin-on in a very hot oven or grill, on a skillet or over a naked flame (see notes above)
- When the garlic and tomato skins are blackened wrap them in a kitchen towel over foil or plastic film and let them sweat for 20-30 minutes
- Slice the onion and soften in a little olive oil with the finely chopped rosemary and the thyme. Adding a little salt stops then over-browning, as does a splash of water
- Skin the sweated tomatoes and garlic. Slice the tomatoes thickly and the garlic very thinly. Add them to the onions, along with the paprika and cook for 5-10 minutes or until softened through
- Add the tomatoes and other ingredients to the stock, or vice versa, season with salt and black pepper to taste, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes
- Top and tail the figs and cut them in 4 or 6, depending on their size, and sautée in a little butter - or olive oil to keep the dish vegan
- Serve the soup in wide soup bowls topped with sautéed figs. Traditionally some toasted or shallow-fried slices of yesterday's bread are added. I prefer a couple of medallions or soft goats' cheese or a dollop of thick soya cream and a few chopped chives with fresh crusty wholemeal bread on the side