Tomato soup with olive, hazelnut and basil pâté

Words and pictures can’t really express how good this tomato soup is. You really need to be able to smell the aroma of the simmering white wine, tomatoes, onions and oregano and taste its delicate flavour, preferably combined with that of an exquisite—yet very easy to make—hazelnut, olive and basil pâté on warm oven-baked bread. Guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

P.S. Unfortunately, basil is not in season at the moment, so I was forced to leave it out. Still great, though!

From: Cocina Vegetariana (Grandes Recetas)

Here's what you'll need

Ingredients

For the soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

500 g/4 medium-sized tomatoes, cut in half

750 g vegetable broth

1 teaspoon oregano

150 ml dry white wine

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Chives, chopped

Salt and pepper

For the olive and hazelnut pâté

125 g hazelnuts, toasted

125 g green or black olives

Handful basil

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1.    Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the onions, celery and carrot for about 5 minutes until they soften, stirring occasionally.

2.    Add the tomato, broth, oregano, wine and sugar. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for around 20 minutes.

3.    Meanwhile, blend the hazelnuts, olives and basil until you form a paste. Stir in the olive oil. Place in a bowl to serve.

4.    Heat the bread in the oven.

5.    Blend the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Decorate with the chopped chives. Spread the pâté on the warm bread. Serve and enjoy!