tomato and basil soup

heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan. add one medium onion finely chopped and cook on gentle heat for about five minutes, stirring frequently until soft but not brown. add about 2 pounds of chopped plum tomatoes which is roughly about 4 or 5 medium-sized ones. add a garlic clove chopped, 3 cups of stock (i use 3 cups of water plus a few tablespoons of marks & spencer vegetable stock), 1/2 cup of a dry white wine, salt and pepper to taste.

bring to boil and then lower the heat, half cover then pan and then let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. take off the stove and use a food blender to blend it all together. at this point you can enjoy as is (which is the way i prefer it) or press through a sieve, add 1/2 cup of double cream and heat a little bit more till it is consistency you like. pour the soup into bowls and garnish with lots of freshly chopped basil.

if you want to give the soup a bit of a kick, add 1/4 teaspoon of red chilli flakes to the onions when they are sauteeing.

another version is to roast the tomatoes in the oven and add roasted tomatoes instead of raw plum tomatoes in the recipe above.