Tomato And Basil Soup With The Best Ever Garlic Bread

Tomato And Basil Soup With The Best Ever Garlic Bread
  • Author: James Martin

This recipe for Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup with Garlic Butter Crostini is a delightful combination of rich flavors and comforting textures. Roasted garlic adds a deep, mellow essence to the creamy soup, while the fresh basil brings a vibrant herbal note. Each spoonful of this velvety soup is a luxurious experience, especially when paired with the crunchy and flavorful garlic butter crostini. This dish offers a perfect balance of savory goodness and will warm both your belly and your heart.

— Constant Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 1 garlic
  • 500ml/18fl oz double cream
  • and freshly ground saltblack pepper
  • 1 large bunch basil
  • 75ml/2½fl oz extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ banana shallot
  • 2 x 400g/14oz tin San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 small baguette

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3½
  • Wrap the whole garlic bulb in aluminium foil and place on a tray in the oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes, or until soft.
  • When the garlic is cool enough to handle, cut the top off of the bulb. Squeeze out all the garlic and finely chop.
  • Pour the double cream into the bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture turns to solid fatty lumps with a liquid base.
  • Line a colander with a clean muslin cloth and place it over a bowl. Tip the mixture into the colander and wrap the muslin tightly around the cream. Squeeze out all the liquid so that you have a solid mass of butter in the muslin, then discard the liquid.
  • Tip the butter into the bowl, add the chopped garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Stir in a third of the chopped basil and mix once more.
  • Heat a large frying pan or sauté pan until hot, add all but two tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil and the shallot and gently fry for a minute.
  • Add the tinned tomatoes and the rest of the basil, reserving two sprigs for garnish, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • While the soup simmers, heat a griddle pan until very hot and char the bread on both sides, then slather with the garlic butter and place in the oven to warm through.
  • Blend the soup using a stick blender or a food processor until you have a fine pureé. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
  • Serve the soup in bowls with the reserved olive oil drizzled over the top and a scattering of basil leaves, and the garlic bread alongside.

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Cook Time

1H

Prep Time

PT30M

Yield

Serves 2