Slow Roasted Tomato, Pumpkin and Turmeric Soup
I invented this recipe after buying some beautiful Cooper’s Shoot tomatoes at our local farmer’s market and harvesting a heap of turmeric in our garden that we needed to use up. At the time, Darren, Archie and I had come down with colds so I needed to nourish us with immune-boosting meals that were easy to make. And so the slow roasted tomato and turmeric soup was born.
It’s packed with vitamin C, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, plus it’s delicious and so easy…it literally takes about 5 minutes to make (not including the slow roasting time of course!). But the richness of flavour comes from the slow roast, and addition of turmeric will have your guests thinking you slaved over it for hours.
It’s funny how some of the best recipes are born out of necessity and a bit of creativity with leftovers. You don’t need to worry too much about quantities in this one either. You really can’t get it wrong.
INGREDIENTS:
2kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 red capsicum, deseeded and roughly chopped
400g pumpkin, deseeded and roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic
3cm knob of ginger, roughly chopped
3cm knob of turmeric, roughly chopped
5 basil sprigs
1 sprig of rosemary
1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
basil leaves, to serve
creme fraiche or plain yoghurt, to serve
sea salt and pepper, to taste
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 120 degrees.
Place the vegetables, garlic, ginger, turmeric basil stems, and rosemary in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the tray into the oven, uncovered, and slow roast the veggies for 2-3 hours. The house will smell amazing!
Transfer the roasted veggies and any liquid into a large saucepan or pot and use a stick blender to puree the mixture. Add the stock, one cup at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency and bring to the boil.
Serve with fresh basil leaves, a dollop of creme fraiche or yoghurt, pesto if you have it, and salt and pepper.
Notes:
Because the soup is made with fresh tomatoes and no sugar, it has a slightly acidic taste (which I like), but if you prefer it milder you can serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche or greek yoghurt and basil leaves. I have mine with sourdough and cultured butter too. The acidity mellows out with a little time so it’s even better the next day.
Tomatoes are the hero of this soup but the other vegetables like pumpkin and carrots can easily be subbed for zucchini or sweet potato.