Tomato Soup with Herbed Cream Cheese Croutons

Tomato Soup with Herbed Cream Cheese Croutons

Ingredients (Serves 8)                                                                                 

1/2 loaf sourdough, crusts removed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1kg tomatoes, quartered

1/2 bunch basil, leaves picked

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp tabasco sauce

rocket to serve

125g herbed cream cheese, softened

finely grated zest and juice 1/2 lemon

Method

• Preheat oven to 180’C. Tear bread into 3cm pieces and place in a bowl. Drizzle over oil and toss to coat. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Set aside
• To make soup, place tomatoes, basil and garlic in a food processor and whiz until finely processed, then pass through a fine sieve into a saucepan (the sieve should catch the basil leaves)
• Add sugar, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and tabasco to the pan. Season to taste and bring to simmer over a medium heat. Cook 10 minutes for flavours to infuse.
• Add lemon to herbed cream cheese. Dip croutons in the cream cheese.
• Serve soup with cream cheese croutons and top with micro rocket and freshly ground pepper