Mrs Bailey’s Roasted Tomato Soup

The nursery classic for grown-ups

Photo by Jenn Kosar on Unsplash

It is, perhaps even it must be, possible that somewhere on three planets breathes a human being who doesn’t like tomato soup. I’ve never met them, and certainly neither has Mrs Bailey. She probably wouldn’t even entertain the notion. It’s a staple on her table, in and out of term; and generations of girls have wheedled this recipe out of her, to take home for their mothers or their older siblings or their housekeepers, so that they needn’t go without all holiday long.

1 onion

A dozen or so large tomatoes — say 2.5 kilos, give or take

An equal number of garlic cloves (or to taste, but one-per-tomato is the correct proportion)

1 800-gram tin of crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

Halve and peel the onion; halve the tomatoes; peel the garlic. Toss them with olive oil and lay them cut-side down on a rimmed baking tray. Roast in a 400F oven for forty-five minutes or so, until the onion is tender.

Allow to cool, then blitz in a blender until completely smooth. Decant into a large saucepan. Blitz the tinned tomatoes too, and add those.

Bring to the boil and simmer for a while, seasoning to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.