Although tomatoes are synonymous with summer, I would almost consider them an Autumn fruit, at least here in Melbourne anyway. The best ones are usually had in February or March, so sweet from the warmth of a long summer. One of my favourite ways to enjoy them is in this delicious soup, which is so simple to make and requires very little active time in the kitchen. Roasting them makes them even sweeter, and paired with the basil and mozzarella, it’s just a lovely pure dish.
This soup is incredibly rustic and rather thick, so feel free to place the soup into a pot and thin out with some stock if you would like it to stretch a bit further. If you’re keeping it as it is though, and blitzing the tomatoes right away from the oven, you won’t need to heat it in a pot at all. While I’ve suggested adding the mozzarella directly into the soup, sometimes I sandwich slices of the milky cheese in between two slices of bread to make creamy grilled sandwiches which are also a sure winner. Make this soup when tomatoes are at their best, bursting red and full of flavour.
This recipe celebrates all that is good about easy summer eating.
Julia Busuttil Nishimura ladling up her roasted tomato soup. Photo – Eve Wilson.
Fresh cut tomatoes ready for roasting. Photo – Eve Wilson.
Late summer is the perfect time of year for sweet tomatoes. Photo – Eve Wilson.
Simple summer eating at its best. Photo – Eve Wilson.
Photo – Eve Wilson.
