Roast Tomato Soup with Basil and Olive Oil Toasts

THERE IS NO REASON THAT you couldn't serve a robustly flavoured tomato soup thoroughly iced on a hot day. If you're going to serve soup cold, make it early in the day and get it completely chilled. You can never chill a cold soup too much.

Ingredients

800 g	Tomatoes (Main)
1	Red capsicum
2	Garlic cloves
3 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 Ltr	Vegetable stock
1 to serve	French bread, toasted
1 bunch	Basil
1 to drizzle	Olive oil, fruity flavoured

Directions

1. Set the oven at 220 degC. Cut the tomatoes into 6 and put the pieces into a roasting dish.
2. Halve the capsicum, then remove the seeds and core. Cut the capsicum into 6 pieces and add to the tomatoes.
3. Roughly chop the garlic, add to the tomatoes and pour the oil over the top.
4. Season generously with salt and pepper, then roast for about 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft, with lightly blackened skin.
5. Pour the stock into the roasting dish with the vegetables. Pull the basil leaves from the stems and add, then bring briefly to the boil on the top of the stove.
6. Remove from the heat and liquidise most, but not quite all, of the mixture, leaving a good couple of handfuls of tomatoes and capsicum behind.
7. Finely chop the remaining tomato and capsicum.
8. Correct the seasoning and chill thoroughly. Pile the chopped tomato and capsicum in the centre of 4 bowls and ladle the soup around it.
9. Float the toast on top, then drizzle with olive oil.