Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup with Cheese Toasties

Ingredients

• 1 Kg:Fresh Tomato, ripe, halved
• 2 Whole:Fresh Red Pepper (Bell), deseeded and quartered
• 1 Large:Fresh Red Onions, cut into wedges
• 4 Whole:Fresh Garlic Clove, unpeeled
• 2 Tbsp:Olive Oil
• 600 ml:Vegetable Stock (Knorr)
• 1 Tbsp:Tomato Puree (Double Concentrate)
• 1 Tsp:Granulated Sugar
• 1 Small Handful:Fresh Basil Leaf
• 4 Tbsp:Single Cream, or natural yoghurt, to serve
• 8 Slice:Wholemeal Bread Slice
• 160 g:Mature Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 30 g:Salted Butter, softened
• 1 Tsp:Table Salt, to taste
• 1 Tsp:Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6).

2. Spread the tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic in a large roasting tin. Toss with the oil, season, and roast for 30 minutes until soft and lightly charred.

3. Squeeze the garlic from its skins into a large saucepan. Add the roasted vegetables and their juices, the stock, tomato purée and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add most of the basil and blend until smooth. Taste and season.

5. For the toasties, sandwich the cheddar between the bread slices and butter the outsides. Fry in a frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes each side until golden and melted, in two batches.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl in the cream, top with the remaining basil and serve with the toasties cut into triangles.