Tomato and chilli pepper soup with oregano

Telegraph

a day ago

This sits somewhere between a classic tomato soup and a punchy gazpacho, with a nice kick from the chillies. It's great served hot or cold.
Ingredients
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 medium red and/or green chillies, trimmed and roughly chopped, seeds and all
250g ripe tomatoes, or plum or cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 120g cherry tomatoes left whole
½ tbsp tomato purée
1 litre vegetable stock
To garnish
2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 slices of sourdough or bloomer, cut into rough 1cm cubes
knob of butter
12 cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped
handful of oregano or marjoram leaves
Method
Step
Add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil to a large saucepan set over a medium heat and gently cook 1 roughly chopped large red onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1-2 roughly chopped medium red and/or green chillies for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.
Step
Add 250g roughly chopped ripe tomatoes (or plum or cherry tomatoes), ½ tbsp tomato purée and 1 litre vegetable stock then bring to the boil. Season and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
Step
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil for the garnish in a frying pan and cook 2 slices of sourdough or bloomer, cut into rough 1cm cubes, until golden, 3-4 minutes, stirring as they cook.
Step
Add a knob of butter towards the end, continue frying until it has melted, then transfer the croutons to a plate lined with kitchen paper and season.