Roasted eggplant, red bell pepper, and tomato soup

Our starting point for this, believe it or not, was a can of Heinz cream of tomato soup! The classic British tomato soup, smooth and sweet. For anyone who's ever been brought a bowl when unwell and tucked up in bed, the link between the can and comfort is strong! Realizing that if someone wants a can of Heinz tomato soup they will simply get one, our departure from the original went quite a long way. With Its smoky roasted vegetables and sherry vinegar finish, this soup is more reminiscent of the Catalonian dish escalivada than anything that comes in a can.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

Step 2

Place the eggplants on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once or twice. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers to the sheet, drizzle with another 1 tablespoon of oil and turn the vegetables so that they are all coated. Roast for another 30 minutes, until the vegetables have colored and the skins have wrinkled. Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, peel the skins off all the vegetables: don't worry if some stubborn patches remain. Discard the seeds and stems of the peppers and the stems of the eggplants.

Step 3

Meanwhile, put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a large saucepan, for which you have a lid, and place on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until soft and lightly colored. Add the garlic and thyme, then decrease the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the spices and tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes, then add all the peeled vegetables, along with their juices, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, along with 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer gently, with the pan partially covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and, using an immersion blender or countertop blender, blitz until completely smooth.

Step 4

In the last few seconds of cooking, add the thyme leaves, spices, and flaked sea salt, then remove from the heat. Once cool, stir in the chopped parsley and vinegar.

Step 5

Divide the soup among individual bowls and spoon the fried almonds and oil over the top