Fresh tomato soup

In 2016, I experimented with a “fresh tomato soup shots” concept for Nicholas and Jess’ wedding. This was the final recipe. The soup was made in batches of 10 serves each for their 110 guests, put in zip lock bags, frozen and stored in a freezer until we transported it up to Ben Lomond for the wedding.

We do not have a lot of spare freezer space, so Nicholas found a cheap second-hand freezer. We strapped it onto our trailer and hooked it up to the mains supply by an extension cord. The trailer remained on the driveway for many months.

In case the freezer failed (after all it was second hand and very cheap), we dangled a freezer temperature alarm monitor inside the freezer. In case of inclement weather, we covered the trailer and freezer with a big baggy tarpaulin. All disaster scenarios covered.

For several months before the wedding, we stuffed the freezer full of well labelled boxes of all the soup, pies, tarts, cakes and other courses Nicholas and I made for the occasion.

When we were done, on a suitably cold day, we removed all the frozen boxes and bags and piled them on a tarp on the driveway to catalogue them. We needed to get the four-day course order right for efficient removal at the other end. The freezer was then quickly repacked in the correct order.

The trailer, with generator running as we drove, was driven up to the ski lodge at Ben Lomond, some 3½ hours drive away. As there is no electricity on site, we continued to run the generator for the next four days. As the food was needed for each day’s breakfast, lunch or evening meal courses, it was moved to waiting Eskis or cool areas to defrost. Luckily, we had plenty of kitchen space and with our well labelled boxes, nothing went wrong at all. Such a relief. No one was harmed in the making or eating of this food!

Ingredients

1.5kg ripe, good flavoured large tomatoes

1kg brown onions

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

½ tbsp. tomato paste

500ml water

½ cup fruity white wine

½ tsp. pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs- Italian parsley, basil, thyme

Grated zest of lemon

1 tsp. vincotto

Method

• Grill halved tomatoes with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper and a little sugar sprinkled on top.

• Leave under grill until they start to caramelise but not burn black! Sprinkle with a little balsamic honey glaze or vincotto. Leave under the grill for one more minute. Blend till smooth.

• Dice onion and garlic. Slowly caramelise in a heavy based fry pan with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

• When ready, add vincotto, cook for one more minute to reduce, then take off the heat.

• Cool onion slightly. Add to a blender with zest of a lemon and blend mixture until smooth.

• Combine all into a saucepan, add rest of ingredients, and simmer for 20 minutes, do not boil. For a thinner soup add a little more water. To serve scatter some freshly grated lemon zest on the soup surface and top with a sprig of basil.