TOMATO, BASIL AND COCONUT SOUP

Serves 8-10

You will need:

1kg (2 lbs) ripe cherry tomatoes 3 cloves of garlic, peeled 3 sprigs of basil 5 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon of sugar 150g (5 oz) onion, chopped 425ml ( ¾ pint) of chicken or vegetable stock 1 x 400g (14fl oz) tin of coconut milk 3 tablespoons chopped basil

Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) Gas 8.

Cut the ripe cherry tomatoes in half, removing the little core. Spread them out on a large roasting tray. Add the garlic cloves and the sprigs of basil, then drizzle over 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season generously with some salt, freshly ground black pepper and the sugar. Place the tray in the hot oven and roast for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and a little browned.

As the tomatoes are roasting, put the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan on a medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook it for 8-10 minutes until soft.

When the onion is cooked, remove the tray from the oven and discard the basil sprigs. Add the tomatoes, the garlic and all the juices from the tray and the chicken or vegetable stock, whichever you are using, to the pan of cooked onions.

Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Tip in the coconut milk and stir to mix. Taste and add more salt, freshly ground black pepper or sugar if necessary. Liquidise the soup in a blender or food processor until it is completely smooth.

If you’d like a very smooth soup you can sieve the liquid at this point — it’s not essential, but I usually do.

Put the soup back in the pan; you can add more stock at this point if you’d like a thinner soup.

Reheat the soup to serve, divide it between the bowls and sprinkle over the chopped basil to garnish.