Tomato Soup With Basil
Tamato Soup With Tulsi
Mamta Gupta
Fresh tomatoes soups are always preferable to tinned of dehydrated packet ones. They are really very easy to make, well worth a try. This is a basic soup sort of recipe, you can try making many others this way. For a buffet, you can serve it in small mugs.
Serves 4-6
Edited and new pictures added July 2018
Ingredients
1 kg. fresh tomatoes, quartered or roughly chopped*
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed (optional)
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups vegetable stock (home made or use stock pots or cubes or vegetarian bouillon granules
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
A handful of fresh basil leaves (you can replace these with coriander leaves)
1 tsp. sugar, to be added only after tasting and if it is too tart
4 tbsp. double cream to serve (optional)
*Add 1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped for a more intense red colour and flavour
Instructions
Heart butter and oil together in a pan.
Add onions (and ginger and garlic, if used) and fry until onions are softened, but not browned.
Add tomatoes and then stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so, until tomatoes have softened.
Blend the soup and press through a sieve to remove any seeds and skins.
Add fresh basil leaves (save a few whole for serving) and blend again.
Add black pepper, taste and adjust seasoning according to taste. If it seems too tart (khutta), add 1 tsp. sugar or sweetener here.
Stir in cream, if used.
Heat through before serving, without boiling it.
Pour into soup bowls or mugs, garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Serve hot with a slice of fresh bread.
