Red lentil and tomato soup

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

3 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

30 tomatoes (about 3lb/1.35kg), quartered

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp superfine sugar

1 tbsp tomato paste or purée

2½ cups hot vegetable stock

2/3 cup heavy cream (optional), to serve

Method:

1 Heat the oil in a soup pot, add the onions, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring so the onions don’t burn. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the sugar and tomato paste or purée, stir, and then cook over very low heat for 30 minutes.

2 Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and season again if needed.

3 Let cool completely, then transfer to a freezerproof container, seal, and freeze for up to 3 months.

4 To reheat, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then transfer to a pan and heat until piping hot. Stir in the cream, if using, and serve with crusty bread.

Red lentil and tomato soup