Bread and Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• A large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 28 ounces canned tomatoes
• 2 large handfuls of stale good-quality bread, torn into chunks

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Poke the cherry tomatoes, then put them in a mixing bowl with 1 sliced clove of garlic, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and 5 or 5 basil leaves. Tip everything onto a roasting tray and roast for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened, wrinkled, and given up a bit.
2. Set a soup pot over medium heat and warm the olive oil. Add the basil stalks and the rest of the garlic, and let them cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the canned tomatoes and their juices, then fill the can halfway with water and add that as well. As the soup comes up to a boil, crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or snip them apart with kitchen scissors. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the torn bread to the pot, then tear in the remaining basil, holding back a few leaves for finishing. When the roasted tomatoes are ready, scrape them into the soup with all the juices and sticky bits from the tray.
5. Stir everything together and take a look at the texture; it should be quite thick, almost like porridge. Ladle the soup into bowls, spoon a little more olive oil over the top, finish with the reserved basil, and serve.