Cheat's Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Basil

It's Music Night so hubby and I will be eating at our favourite pub, The Hop Pole Bewdley and listening to One Tree Canyon play.  This means Harriet will be home alone for a couple of hours so I will make her this basic sauce/soup that she can have with pasta.  It freezes well for up to a month and its so quick and versatile.  Adapted from a James Martin recipe.

The Sauce

This is great as a basic pasta sauce to which I add anything that takes my fancy or needs eating up such as mushrooms, anchovies, black olives or even mascarpone.

Take a jar of roasted red peppers rinse and then empty into a large pan
Next add a tin of good quality chopped tomatoes (San Marzano are ideal)

Shred half a bunch of fresh basil and add that too
Finally throw in a crushed clove or two of garlic
Heat and simmer for 5 minutes
Blitz it using a stick blender
Season with salt and black pepper
This is the basic sauce.

The Soup
If you want to use it as a soup just add some extra stock or water at the end of the sauce making process until the consistency is how you like it to be. Swirl in some olive oil or creme fraiche and sprinkle on some shredded basil leaves to 'chef it up' a little and serve with a crusty bread roll.  If the troops are really hungry then I sometimes add in some kidney beans.

The next post will feature Wild Garlic from the Wyre Forest.......