Paul’s Tomato Soup

Serves 6 You will need:

2 carrots

2 sticks celery

2 medium onions

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes

2 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes

40g tomato puree

6 large, ripe plum tomatoes

15g fresh basil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

5g sugar, if required 1 Peel, where necessary, and roughly chop the carrots, the celery, the onions and the garlic. 2 Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the chopped carrots, the chopped celery, the chopped onions and the chopped garlic. Cook, with the lid ajar, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. 3 Crumble the vegetable stock cubes into a jug, cover with 1.5 litres of boiling water, and stir until they have dissolved. Add the vegetable stock to the vegetables in the pot, along with the tinned tomatoes, the tomato puree and the fresh plum tomatoes, including any green stalks. 4 Give it a good stir and bring it to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Meanwhile, pick the basil leaves off the stalks. 5 Remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste with the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and check the acidity. If it’s required, add the sugar to balance the flavour, then stir through the fresh basil leaves — save a few for garnishing the soup. Using a stick blender or liquidiser, pulse the soup until it is smooth. Taste and check the seasoning, then serve the soup, garnished with some basil leaves. Paul Hickey is executive head chef at The Westin Hotel, Westmoreland Street, D2, tel: (01) 645-1000, or see thewestindublin.com In conversation with Sarah Caden