Chef Gordon Ramsay has shared a tomato soup recipe that swaps the traditional pot for a roasting tray, a technique he says makes a noticeable difference to the dish's flavour. The method involves searing the vegetables on the hob before roasting them in the oven.
Roasting instead of stewing
In an online video, the restaurateur explained: "Traditionally, you make it in a pot, but it's so much better to start it on top of the stove, searing the tomatoes and the garlic." He added: "When it goes in the oven, you actually roast the tomatoes, not stew them, and there's actually a big difference in flavour."
Ramsay advised being generous with olive oil, saying: "It makes the soup nice and glossy." He also noted that the sugar in the recipe helps bring out the tomatoes' natural sweetness.
Ingredients and method
The soup requires 1.5kg of sliced tomatoes, two sliced red onions, one peeled garlic clove, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of cayenne pepper, a tablespoon of sugar, 100ml of double cream, one litre of chicken or vegetable stock, plus salt, pepper and olive oil. For the pesto, the ingredients are pine nuts, 75g of sundried tomatoes, 50g of grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil and reserved sundried tomato oil.
To begin, peel and thinly chop the red onion and garlic, wash and halve the tomatoes, and preheat the oven to 180C. Place a heatproof roasting tray over medium to high heat on the hob, then add the onion, garlic and a dash of cayenne pepper with a generous amount of olive oil. Cook for three to four minutes before adding the tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Keep the tray on high heat for another three to four minutes until the tomatoes start to caramelise.
Serving and pesto
After combining the ingredients, transfer the tray to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Return the tray to the hob over medium heat, add stock until it comes halfway up the tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer for three to four minutes while crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Stir in the cream and simmer for a further two to three minutes. The soup can then be blended, with a potato masher for a chunkier, more "rustic" result or a stick blender for a velvety purée.
For an accompaniment, Ramsay recommended cheesy toast. To finish the dish, he suggested a "punchy sun-dried pesto" to make it "even more irresistible". While the vegetables roast, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden, grind the sundried tomatoes in a pestle and mortar (or with a sturdy spoon), season with black pepper, add the pine nuts, and grind until creamy. Mix in olive oil and some sundried tomato oil, which Ramsay said will "really help make a stunning pesto", then grate in the Parmesan and work to a silky paste to spoon over the soup.
