REALLY ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

1. This soup is really, really good.

2. If you'd rather I make it for you, that can happen. It's part of the menu at RESTORE. REVIVE. RECONNECT. Which is now less than 3 weeks away (!). I love feeding people, and teaching people yoga, so it's a weekend of all my favourite things.

The good news, is that there's still a couple of tickets left. And I would love (LOVE) you to come. If you still need convincing, we'll be shacked up in a glorious house on top of a misty mountain for a weekend dedicated to slowing the pace, eating good food, enjoying some yoga, and reconnecting. The amazing Meg is my co-host.

There's a couple ticket still available and one single (psssst: which you should get in touch with me about, because there might be a cheeky rate for this ticket!).

But this soup. Really. Roasted to within an inch of their lives, tomatoes become sweet and savoury at the same time. Some sweet potato for some creamy starch-factor, a generous amount of pepper, and some toasted hazelnuts. (Anyone who has enjoyed the Spanish dip Romesco will appreciate that tomatoes and hazelnuts really do get along.) If you can't make it to the retreat, at least you can make this soup, my dears!

One last little, heart-warming bit of news: my eBook, "breakfast + sweets" is now available for your purchasing pleasure. There's 25 individually photographed recipes, and I've just loved receiving feedback from the beautiful souls who have already snagged a copy. Check out the hashtag #breakfastandsweets for some of their snaps.

Happy Monday, folks!

REALLY ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

serves 4-6

This soup is vibrant, peppery and delicious. If you want to bulk things up a bit, add a drained tin of chickpeas to the roasting pan with the tomatoes.

1.5 kg tomatoes, quartered
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 red onions, quartered
2 big or 4 small cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp rice bran oil/coconut oil
sea salt, to taste
4 springs of thyme, leaves removed
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1-2 cups vegetable stock
2 handfuls of hazelnuts
handful of fresh herbs

Preheat oven to 200 C.

In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, sweet potato, onion, garlic, oil, salt, thyme, and pepper. Make sure everything is well coated. Pour into a large roasting tray and bake for 55 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast hazelnuts over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and roughly chop.

Turn the oven’s grill onto the highest temperature and finish off the tomatoes for 5 minutes, making sure that everything is golden and caramelised.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer roasted vegetables into a blender, pouring in the juices from the tray. Blend on high for a minute or so, then add stock to achieve your desired consistency.

Serve with some chopped toasted hazelnuts and herbs.

ROASTED CAPSICUM + LENTIL SOUP

I should admit that I have an affinity for red things. Red dresses, underwear, and shoes in particular. On some days, I can even be found to be wearing all three at once (if you're brave enough to ask me and find out, ha!). It should come as no surprise then, that red soups would be particularly attractive to me.

There's very good reason to eat lots of red things: lycopene and capsaicin are just two of them. Potent antioxidants, lycopene and capsaicin are found in lots of foods, including capsicums, tomatoes, and chilli. The good news on lycopene's behalf, is that its concentration is actually increased by cooking -- so roasting those capsicums is a very good (and delicious) idea.

Combining rich, roasted flavours with a texture that is smooth yet hearty, this soup is a pot of nourishing power. It's also a basic version of what I imagine could be a very eccentric soup. I haven't even included onions, folks. Substitute the carrots for some sweet potato? I'm only 1000% sure that it would be amazing. Add some more spices for a curry-flavoured version? Or perhaps take it down a Moroccan route? Keep me in the loop with your adventures!

ROASTED CAPSICUM + LENTIL SOUP
serves 4-6

4 small carrots, halved and sliced
2 large red capsicums, cored and chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
0.5 cumin seeds
0.5 tsp coriander seeds
0.5 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup dried red lentils
4-6 cups/1-1.5 litres water or stock
1 tsp smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 175C/300F. Line a large roasting pan with baking paper. Toss together the carrots, capsicum, garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli and olive oil. Add a big pinch of salt and spread out in the roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour, until soft and starting to colour.

Meanwhile, add the lentils and 4 cups of water/stock to a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the lentils are very soft.

When the vegetables are finished roasting, carefully tip them into a blender, pour in the contents of the saucepan. Blend on high until smooth, adjusting with more water/stock to desired consistency. Alternatively, add the vegetable to the saucepan and puree with a stick blender. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, lots of cracked black pepper, and any of the following: cornbread (pictured), brown rice, quinoa, black beans, chickpeas, farinata, or polenta.