Tomato Soup

To make the stock, place 2-3kg soup bones in a baking dish, drizzle with a little oil and roast at 220C for 30 minutes then add a couple of scrubbed carrots, two peeled, quartered onions and two or three celery stalks and continue roasting for another 30 minutes. Drain off any fat then place the bones and vegetables in a large pot of water – a pasta pot is ideal – and simmer gently for three hours. Strain, cool then refrigerate overnight. Skim off any congealed fat and your stock is ready to use or to freeze.

And a word of advice – if you buy stock powder or stock cubes, take a close look at the list of ingredients. Some brands don’t contain any beef or chicken whatsoever.

Savoury Tomato Soup

1kg tomatoes, cored and skins removed
3 tablespoons light olive oil
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
2 medium carrots
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 litres beef stock (homemade or from stock cubes)
salt

Score a cross in the bottom of each tomato and also remove the cores. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes. Let them sit for a couple of minutes then remove the skins and quarter.

Finely chop the onion, celery and carrots. Place the olive oil in a large pot and heat then add the onions, celery, carrots and sugar and gently saute for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking on a low heat for a further 10 minutes, making sure the vegetables don’t burn.

Add the beef stock and bring to the boil then simmer for a further 20 minutes, adding salt as required. Serve with crusty bread