A blitzed tomato soup with a poached egg and roasted spuds

If a more satisfying and delicious soup can be made any more quickly, please do tell me about it!

Yes I suppose I could just use tinned tomatoes but I said satisfying and delicious, so this uses a combination of aforementioned tinned, as well as fresh tomatoes.

Anyway, it’s yumminess and comfort and speed and economy all in one bowl.

Recipe easily multiplies.

Serves 2

Ingredients

6 medium tomatoes, ripe – ish

½ small red onion, peeled

1 large garlic clove, left whole

1 tbs olive oil

¼ tsp Tabasco

¼ tsp white Balsamic “condiment” or other sweet vinegar

Salt and pepper

To serve

2 large eggs

8 – 10 new potatoes, sliced in half lengthways

Greek yoghurt, or crème fraiche,

Pesto or Siracha

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C

Place tomatoes, onion and garlic in a tray and drizzle the olive oil all over. Season with salt and pepper, the Tabasco and Balsamic condiment.

In a separate, or even in the same tray, put 8 – 10 small new potatoes, sliced down the middle. No need to peel, just make sure they are well coated in the oil, salt and pepper

Roast for about 30 minutes till the sweet juices are released and the skins burst open, charred in places.

Transfer the potatoes to a bowl

Plonk the rest of it all into a blender, together with one whole can of chopped tomatoes and blitz smooth. Very smooth.

Set a small pan of water to which you’ve added a spoon of white vinegar, on the stove and bring to the boil.

Break the eggs into individual cups.

Once the water has boiled, switch off the heat but do not remove the pan from the stove. Lower the eggs in and wait. Just wait. And keep waiting until the egg whites are perfectly coagulated and the yolks, set but still jammy.

Lift them out of the water with a slotted spoon.

Ladle the soup into bowls, lower the eggs on top. Drizzle with a little of whatever condiment you might enjoy – a spicy, chilli sauce, or a pungent pesto, or leave just as is. Eat with the potatoes and a bowl of Greek yoghurt or some crème fraiche to dip the potatoes into.