Hearty Tomato Soup

Created for Little Forest Folk Life by Two Teaspoons

Serves 4, generously

Ingredients:

· extra virgin olive oil - enough to cover the bottom of the pan

· 1 onion, finely chopped

· 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed

· 2 sticks celery, finely chopped

· 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs

· 2 carrots, grated

· 1 courgette, grated

· 100g red split lentils

· 2 tins of chopped tomatoes

· 1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree

· pinch of sea salt

· few grinds of black pepper

Leave the lid on at each stage when you are cooking this soup, the steam helps the vegetables cook nicely and more efficiently.

1. Put the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on a gentle heat and add the onions, garlic and celery followed by the herbs, salt and pepper. Stir and let cook until soft but not browned. This takes about 10 minutes. If the onions start to stick, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.

2. Put the carrots, courgette and lentils into the pan and mix everything together. Add cold water to just cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils and vegetables are soft, this will take about 20mins. Stir occasionally.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree. Leave to simmer with the lid off for a good 5 minutes until the tomato is well combined with the vegetables and lentils.

4. Take the pan off the heat, blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning if necessary.
   
   

This Hearty Tomato Soup goes very well with our Stilton and Spinach Bread Pudding on the side which can be found under our Supper Recipes!

Finishing touches, if you are feeling fancy!

·       Crunchy croutons

·       Chopped flat-leaf parsley stirred through

·       A sprinkle of grated cheese