Vegetarian mains
Fresh tomato soup with tapenade toast
A vegetarian, dairy-free summer soup thickened with a light cornflour. This is both light and comforting – a very good dish for unpredictable English summers. Salty black olive tapenade on toast balances out the sweetness of the slow-cooked tomatoes, turning this into a complete meal.
Cook's notes
If you like, you could add a swirl of cream or crème fraîche to this to make a cream of tomato, but I like the fresh flavour as it is. Tomato soup can be quite sweet, so the salty tapenade is a good foil. This will make more tapenade than you will need, but it's not worth making less, and it's very moreish anyway!
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
- 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 480g tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 bay leaf
- 600ml veg stock
- slices of ciabatta, griddled or toasted
For the tapenade
- 1 pack black kalamata olives, pitted
- 2 tbsp capers, soaked in a small bowl of water for 20 mins, then drained
- 2 anchovies
- 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- leaves from 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped, plus more
- juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
- about 5 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
For the tapenade
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Step 1
Simply blitz the olives, capers, anchovies, garlic and thyme in a food processor, then add the parsley, lemon juice and just enough oil to make a rough paste. Season to taste.
For the soup
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Step 1
Fry the onion gently in oil in a large pan for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomato purée and vinegar. Stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
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Step 2
Blend the soup in a processor until smooth. Strain through a sieve, then return to the pan. Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water to make a paste. Add to the soup, with the bay leaf and stock. Season, then simmer for 15 minutes. Check the seasoning.
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Step 3
Spread a little tapenade onto toasted ciabatta, sprinkle over a little extra parsley, then serve with the soup.