Roast Tomato Soup With Basil and Prosciutto

Luscious, fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes, capture the essence of summer in this flavorsome soup. I serve this with a variation of garlic bread - instead of garlic butter, spread the the bread with mint pistachio pesto, and bake as for garlic bread. Yum! Tomato soup adapted from a recipe by Mark Jensen.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1 -2  tablespoon raw sugar
•  sea salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 2  white onions, finely diced
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 4  garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 (14 ounce) can  whole peeled roma tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
• 1  cup white wine
• 2  cups  vegetable stock
• 1 -2  teaspoon white sugar
• 1  cup fresh basil leaf
• 1  cup  cream
• 6 -8  slices prosciutto, cut wafer-thin
• 6  basil leaves, finely sliced (extra)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Core the tomatoes - use the tip of a sharp paring knife to make a shallow cut all around the stem end, and then pop out the core.
3. Cut the tomato into halves if small, or quarters if large.
4. Place the tomatoes on a roasting tray, with cut sides facing up.
5. Sprinkle with raw sugar, salt and pepper.
6. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, checking from time to time that they are not burning.
7. Remove and set aside.
8. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based pan.
9. Gently saute the onions and garlic until onions are soft and translucent.
10. Add the roasted tomatoes with all the juices from the baking tray, the tinned tomatoes and their juice, white wine, stock and 1 teaspoon sugar.
11. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
12. Remove from heat and add basil leaves, keeping four to six aside for garnish.
13. Meanwhile, heat oven to 390F in preparation for crisping the proscuitto.
14. Blend the soup with a stick blender or food processor and then pass through a fine sieve.
15. Check for seasoning and, if desired add another teaspoon of sugar and pepper to taste - you probably won't need to add any salt as the proscuitto is quite salty already (see below).
16. Place the sliced prosciutto on a cake rack and set on an oven tray.
17. Cook the proscuitto for 5-8 minutes or until crisp.
18. Remove from oven, cool on rack and crumble into pieces.
19. Just before serving, bring the soup to a simmer, add the cream and heat through gently.
20. Pour the hot soup into 6 shallow bowls.
21. Sprinkle with crispy prosciutto and sliced basil, and serve.