Tomato soup with basil and croutons

Name: Tomato soup with basil and croutons
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 60g butter; 1 onion, sliced; 1.5kg very ripe tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped; 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock; 2 tbsp potato flour; salt; freshly ground black pepper; slices of day-old breadstick; olive oil; 1 clove garlic; 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil leaves

Stephanie Alexander

October 18, 2011

Tomato soup with basil and croutonsMarina Oliphant

Time:1-2 hours

From the revised edition of The Cook's Companion.

Ingredients

60g butter
1 onion, sliced
1.5kg very ripe tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp potato flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
slices of day-old breadstick
olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp freshly chopped basil leaves

Method

Melt butter and gently saute onion in a large saucepan until softened. Add tomato to pan, then cover and cook gently until tomato is very soft, about 20 minutes. Pass through the medium disc of a food mill and return to pan. Add stock and heat to simmering point.
Mix potato flour to a smooth cream with a little cold water. Stir a good ladleful of soup into potato flour mixture, then return it to pan. Stir until soup returns to a simmer. Cook for a further 15 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste. Pass through the finest disc of a food mill if there are too many fragments for your liking. For the smoothest texture of all, whiz the soup in a blender.
Brush breadstick slices with oil on one side and grill, then swipe with cut garlic clove while warm. Return soup to boiling point, then ladle into bowls, scatter with basil and offer garlic croutons separately.

This recipe is featured in the book, Summer which is available now in all good bookstores RRP $34.95. To order direct call 1300 656 059 or visit www.smh.com.au/store

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