Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2-3 small yellow onion, chopped (150 g)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico)
- 500 g vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped (5 medium)
- pinch of sugar (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (or other starch)
- 600 ml vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 bay leaf
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
To serve (optional):
- Serve with fresh pesto, chopped chives, or micro greens.
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan (I use non-stick), heat the olive oil of medium heat. Add the onion and gently saute for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Stir for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and season with salt (plus a pinch of sugar, if using). Cover and simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat then reduce heat to a light simmer, and cook for 50 more minutes (1 hour in total).
- Use an immersion blender to process the cooked tomatoes until smooth.
- In a small bowl, mix the starch with 1 tablespoon of water. Add to the saucepan, along with the bay leaf and vegetable broth (or water). Let simmer for 15 more minutes.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the soup to remove the bay leaf any remaining seeds from tomatoes. Taste and season with more salt and some freshly ground pepper.
- Serve with the soup into bowls and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
I like to serve this soup with micro greens and a dollop of fresh basil pesto. A simple pesto can be made with a handful of basil leaves, some pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt - blended with an immersion blender or using a mortar and pestle.
If you like, you could add a swirl of crème fraîche to this to make a cream of tomato soup, but I like the fresh flavour as it is.
If you find the tomatoes too acidic, adding sugar to the soup (1 teaspoon) helps balance this. Alternatively, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. This also mellows acidity. Otherwise, some cooks add a little butter to do the job. The fresh tomatoes I use are quite sweet, so I haven't found this necessary.