Roasted Tomato And Bell Pepper Soup with Basil Oil, Bacon Rubies And Croutons

As our gorgeous summer comes to and end, I wanted to make a soup that would show my appreciation and pay homage to the bright sunny days of summer. This soup is deliciously robust, cheerful and light.

 Makes 5-6 servings

 Ingredients-

• 8 ripe tomatoes – roughly cut
• 2 stalks of fresh thyme leaves
• 1 x yellow pepper – grilled on gas
• 1 x red pepper – grilled on gas
• 1 tsp. garlic – chopped
• 1/2 cup of basil
• 3 – 4 tbsp. olive oil
• Bacon bits – fried
• Fresh cream
• Store bought croutons -you can make your own if you like
• 800ml Chicken stock  
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

 Recipe-

• Preheat the oven to 200 C
• Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet

• Sprinkle with thyme and season with salt and pepper
• Roast in oven for 20 minutes
• Place the peppers over a gas grill or gas stove and grill until the skin is charred- turning often

• Place the charred peppers in a sealed bag and allow to rest for 15 minutes
• Peel the blackened skin off the peppers under running water
• Remove core and pips
• Place the cooled tomatoes, peppers and garlic in a blender
• Add the chicken stock and blend until smooth
• Add more liquid if you want a thinner soup
• Taste and season well

 Basil oil-

• Place the basil leaves in boiling water for 1 minute
• Transfer the basil to ice water
• Drain and dry on kitchen towel
• Add the oil and blitz until all combined
• Season lightly
• Transfer to a small bowl

 To assemble-

• Heat the soup, add a dash of cream and with a teaspoon add 3-4 drops of the basil oil
• Garish with croutons, bacon rubies and fresh micro basil leaves

 Dee’s notes-

•  This soup is also delicious cold
• I used a toothpick to swirl the cream and basil oil through the soup