Roasted carrot and tomato soup.

This is from April’s Good Food Magazine with a few tweaks.  It’s a good foody mag, albeit a bit cheffy in places – do try it (if you don’t already).

Will freeze as it is.

To re-heat, add some milk and heat to just under boiling.  If it boils the taste will be fine but the texture will change.

Taste before adding salt – it’s fine for me but I don’t add much salt to my soups anyway.  I think the sugar is essential so don’t skip it!

I actually like it just as it is without adding milk but I guess the milk will make it ‘creamy’!

Ingredients to make enough for six

a good glug of oil

2 medium onions, peeled and wedged

three cross cuts of celery, not too thin

4 good sized carrots, scrubbed and cut into wedges

1 large or two medium floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

3 bay leaves

about 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

a carton of chopped tomatoes

1 vegetable stock pot

a good slosh of white wine

about 45mls red wine vinegar

about 1 tbsp caster sugar

water

milk to reheat

Method

Turn on the oven to around 160 C

in a roasting dish place the onion, celery, carrot, potato, garlic, mixed herbs, bay leaves, oil and some black pepper.  Toss well so that everything is covered with the oil and place in the oven.  Slow roast for a good hour or more, stirring from time to time, until there are ‘roasty bits’.

Pour over the chopped tomatoes, the wine and red wine vinegar, the stock pot, some extra water and the sugar.  Stir well and place back in the oven for another hour, stirring now and again so that nothing actually burns!

Remove the bay leaves.

Place in a blender or processor with a bit more water and zizz until really smooth.  Taste and add salt if needed – the stock pot is rather salty so you may not need any more.

It makes a thick and delicious soup.  To slacken, add milk but be careful not to boil or the texture will change.

An afterthought as I was making some pasta.  Fry up some bacon or use some shreds of leftover meat, soften some onion, red pepper, mushroom or whatever veg you have that needs using up, add some of this soup (without the milk) and you have a wonderful pasta sauce!  Topped with parmesan or other grated hard cheese, it will be wonderful.