Recipe for roasted red pepper, fennel and tomato soup

YOU WILL NEED:

One large fennel bulb, peeled

One red onion

Two red peppers, halved and deseeded

500g (1lb) tomatoes

Four garlic cloves, i

their skins

1.5 tsp sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

One large sprig of rosemary leaves

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

1.5 tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp nigella seeds

400ml (14floz) passata

1 litre (2 pts) vegetable stock

One red chilli, split and deseeded

Salt and ground black pepper

Handful of fennel leaves Method:

Preheat the ovento 200C/400F/gas 6.

Cut the fennel and onion into wedges.

Slice across the base of each tomato and squeeze the juice and seeds into a bowl. Strain the juice and set aside.

Line the roasting tin with baking parchment and add the fennel, onion, peppers, tomatoes and garlic cloves.

Sprinkle over the sugar, drizzle with olive oil and scatter the rosemary on top.

Roast the vegetables for about an hour, until the tomatoes are soft. Cool the vegetables before peeling the skin from the peppers. Peel the garlic and discard the skin

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and toss in the fennel and nigella seeds, swirling them around for a few seconds. Pour over the passata, stock and reserved tomato juice and bring to the boil. Add the roasted vegetables and chilli and season. Half cover with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Using a blender, whizz the soup until smooth and press through a sieve. Reheat, re-season and finish with a sprinkling of fennel leaves.