Roasted Tomato Soup with Feta

Photo & Styling: Naama Ran
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 tomatoes, cut in half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, white part only, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bunch parsley

For serving:

• Croutons
• Chopped parsley
• 3.5 ounces Tnuva Feta Cow’s Milk Cheese
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°C. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Place tomato halves on the pan, cut side up. Sprinkle with seasoning and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
3. Meanwhile, heat the rest of the olive oil in a pan and saute the leek, celery and carrot for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and saute for another 2 minutes.
4. Add 4 cups water and the parsley and cook for 30 minutes. Discard the parsley and the bay leaves.
5. Add the roasted tomatoes to the pot of vegetables and blend with a hand blender. If the soup is too thick, add a little boiling water. If it is too thin, cook for another 10 minutes without a lid so that some of the fluid evaporates. Taste and correct seasoning.
6. Divide the soup into bowls. Serve with croutons, chopped parsley, cubed Feta and a splash of olive oil.