Tomato soup with fried garlic

Tomato soups are common in Mediterranean cuisine, loved in sunny Italy and Spain, as well as in the French south. These soups are always vibrant, reminiscent of a hot, bountiful summer. Adding roasted garlic to your tomato soup adds a vibrant flavor. Garlic baked in foil retains most of its nutrients, while being less pungent and much easier to digest.

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1:

Using a sharp knife, trim the tops off two unpeeled heads of garlic.

Step 2:

Place the garlic heads in baking foil, drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with half a teaspoon of ground black pepper and half a teaspoon of salt, wrap tightly and bake in the oven at 190 degrees for an hour.

Step 3:

Remove the eyes from 4 medium tomatoes and make a cross-shaped cut at opposite ends.

Step 4:

Place a pot of water over high heat and, using tongs, carefully place the whole, unpeeled tomatoes into the boiling water, making sure they're completely covered. Blanch until the skins crack, then carefully remove the tomatoes from the boiling water, peel, and dice into small cubes.

Step 5:

Dice a medium onion.

Step 6:

Crush 3 cloves of garlic.

Step 7:

Finely chop 20 basil leaves.

Step 8:

Grate 120 g of Parmesan cheese on a fine grater.

Step 9:

Squeeze the cooled roasted garlic out of its skin and mash.

Step 10:

Finely chop a small green bell pepper.

Step 11:

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a deep saucepan over medium heat, drizzling with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 12:

Add the chopped onion and pepper, a pinch or two of salt, and season with pepper. Cook until soft, stirring constantly.

Step 13:

Add crushed fresh garlic, stir and cook for another minute.

Step 14:

Add 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir.

Step 15:

Pour in 1 liter of chicken broth.

Step 16:

Add roasted garlic and chopped tomatoes, stir.

Step 17:

Bring the soup to a boil, add 1 bay leaf, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Step 18:

Remove the bay leaf, pour in a glass of heavy cream and stir.

Step 19:

Add grated cheese and stir.

Step 20:

Add Tabasco sauce to taste.

Step 21:

Pour in 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Step 22:

Add 2 tablespoons of butter and half of the chopped basil. Stir.

Step 23:

Serve garnished with remaining basil.

Cooking tips

Roasting garlic takes a long time, so you can do it ahead of time and store the finished garlic in the refrigerator. You can vary the amount of butter if you're concerned about extra calories.