Irish Tomato Soup

This Irish Tomato Soup is a fun soup to make and I think it tastes delicious. It is nothing like the stuff that you get out of a tin in that it tastes like real tomatoes. All soups should taste fresh and this one is no exception.

Ingredients

• 2 Celery sticks diced
• 2 medium onions diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 6 tomatoes
• 2 tins of plum tomatoes (400g tins)
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• 1 clove of garlic
• Good olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cooking Method

Place your saucepan on the cooker at a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of good olive oil and add the carrots, celery, garlic and onions. Cook these for about 10 minutes until they start to soften but not brown. Get a jug of boiling water around 1.8 liters and add the stock cubes, then stir and add to the pot. Now add in the plum tomatoes and the 6 tomatoes whole. You don't need to chop these up as they will blend in. Stir well for about 5 minutes and bring to the boil. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes on a low heat.

You can now blend the soup using a hand blender or one of those automatic blenders until smooth. Season again to your own taste to serve and you can of course add some fresh basil leaves or cream to give that professional chef look. As always best served with some Irish wheaten bread and a big smile.