Ingredients - Serves 4

2½ Pints Water
1 12 oz. Tin peeled plum Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Tomato Pureé
1 Onion
1 Large Potato
3 to 4 Cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Dried Basil or a small hand full of fresh basil if you have it.
Salt & Pepper

Method

• Peel and chop the onion, peel and crush or chop the garlic. (There is no need really to crush the garlic unless you have just bought a garlic press and are dying to try it out.)
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan add the onion and garlic and fry gently until soft.
• Meanwhile wash and chop the potato, peeling if not organic.
• When the onion is golden brown add the water to the pan, put in the potato and bring to the boil.
• Once boiling open the tin of tomatoes and add to the pan, together with the tomato puree. Stir well, cover and simmer gently.
• If using fresh basil, wash and roughly chop it then add it to the soup, saving a few leaves for garnish. Dried basil can just be tossed in with a suitable Latin flourish.
• Cook until the potatoes are soft, then blend and season to taste.
• It tastes even better if you garnish it with a few pitted black olives and those fresh basil leaves you saved.

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