When Life gives you Tomatoes: Vegan Tomato Glut Soup

Here at The Olive Hill, we have the perfect veg plot, or orto as it's known in these parts.  I do realise that this is a bold claim, but let me explain why.I've already shared that we have fabulous neighbours, who have welcomed us into their little village with open arms, invited us into their homes, fixed our various broken things, and also, grown their vegetables in our garden, resulting in the constant donation of the most delicious, in season fruit and veg, with no effort on our part.  For us this is a "win win" kind of situation, as in addition to our constant supply of fruit and veg, we also have a guardian angel, who watches over our little slice of Italy, ever alert for intruders, and ready and willing to solve such problems as burst water pipes while we are away from home.So, in my next couple of blog posts, I am going to share some of the recipes that I have been experimenting with, and also some of my favourites, starting with today's soup, that finally made a dent in my tomato mountain: I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!Vegan Tomato Soup (Serves six)Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 large green pepper, chopped

• 1 kg over ripe tomatoes (I used coeur de boeuf from the garden)

• 1 litre good vegetable stock

• salt and freshly ground pepper

• 100g pasta - a small variety such as stelle or midolline is ideal

1. In a large pan, fry the onion and pepper in the olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are just starting to brown.

2. Add the tomatoes, and continue to fry until the tomatoes start to give off their juice.

3. Add the stock, and bring to the boil.  Simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.

4. Push all of the soup through a sieve, or put through a mouli, into a second saucepan.  When you are left with the "mush" of the vegetables, add this to the clear liquid, and reheat gently to boiling, stirring gently to prevent it from sticking to the pan.

5. Once boiling, season to taste with salt and pepper, then simmer for a further 10 minutes.

6. Add the pasta, and boil for another 10 minutes.

Serve with lightly toasted crusty bread, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil.