FRESH TOMATO SOUP WITH CHEESY CORNBREAD

PREP 20 MINS COOK 40 MINS SERVES 2 WITH LEFTOVERS FOR 2 FOR ANOTHER DAY AND 4 LEFTOVER PORTIONS OF BREAD TO SERVE ANOTHER DAY AS A SNACK

BREAD

40g (¼ cup) wholemeal selfraising flour

85g polenta (cornmeal)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

3 green shallots, thinly sliced 1 green chilli, deseeded, thinly

sliced

40g reduced-fat vintage cheese,

finely grated

60g egg

125ml (½ cup) skim milk

FRESH TOMATO SOUP

2 tsp olive oil

4 stalks celery, finely chopped 2 brown onions, chopped 4 carrots, finely chopped

325g floury potatoes, coarsely

grated

500g tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp salt-reduced vegetable stock

powder

1.5L (6 cups) boiling water

3 Tbsp tomato purée

2 large cloves garlic, finely grated Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

1 To make the bread. Preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced) and line the base of a non-stick 9 x 19cm loaf tin with baking paper. Put the flour, polenta and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the paprika, green shallots, chilli and half the cheese. Toss to combine. Add the egg and milk and mix well. Spoon into the tin and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cut the bread into 8 portions

2 Meanwhile, to make the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the onion softens.

Add the potatoes, tomatoes, stock powder, water, tomato purée and garlic. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.

3 Remove the pan from the heat and use a hand held blender to blitz until smooth. Spoon half the soup into two bowls and scatter with the parsley. Serve with 2 pieces of the bread.

Nutrition info

PER SERVE 1070kJ, protein 9g, total fat 4g (sat. fat 1g), carbs 39g, fibre 11g, sodium 548mg

• Carb exchanges 2½

• GI estimate medium