Tomato & basil soup

I've lived away from the UK for nearly two months and I've started noticing some wired cravings. The other day I would have done anything for a chicken shawarma from Maroush. And weirdly enough today I realised that I have wanted to have the simple ready made (I know it's a sin, but sometimes I just don't have time to cook at home) tomato and basil soup that I could just heat up and eat for quite a few days now. I honestly never thought I could be so 'food-homesick'. And as the cravings usually don't go away I decided to take the matter into my own hands and, as I know I won't be able to match the chicken wrap from Maroush (I'll have that for my first dinner back in the UK), I was pretty sure that making a home made tomato soup wouldn't be something that I couldn't handle. And I was absolutely right. This soup is easy to make, healthy and really warms you up from the inside (great for those cold autumn and winter days)... and honestly, nothing is better for a rainy evening that a hearty soup to make you feel nice and cosy.

After looking through the internet for various different variations I decided to just improvise - really didn't feel like having double cream or mascarpone in my soup today. It took me just 20 minutes to make the soup (from the moment I started preparing to the moment I put it in the bowl) and although it might be a bit more than the 6 minutes a ready made soup takes to heat up, there is no way I'm ever going back to the shop stuff, especially after trying out how quick and easy it is to make it at home. I served my soup with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and decorated with a basil leaf, but it could also be served with croutons, dollop of creme fraiche, toast or other warm bread - what ever you like with your tomato soup.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 400g canned plum tomatoes
- 500ml vegetable stock
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan, croutons, toast, grissini etc to serve

Directions
Firstly, make the stock and then set it aside. Grate the carrot and chop the onion. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan, then add the carrot, onion and the crushed garlic. Sauté for few minutes and then add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Add some salt and pepper and few fresh basil leaves and then simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup either using a handheld mixer or a blender and serve with Parmesan cheese / croutons / ...

Recipe from BBC Good Food