This light, fresh and vibrant oven-roasted tomato, prawn and lemon thyme soup is packed with flavour.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 10 very ripe red tomatoes
• 10 sprigs lemon thyme
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 cup Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Pinot Noir Chardonnay
• 1 cup (250 ml) chicken/vegetable stock
• 4 bay-leaves
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar
• ½ cup (125 ml) cream (optional)
• 20 g butter (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 16 prawns, de-veined and cooked in butter and paprika

 Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
2. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and place in an oven roasting tray. Drizzle with half the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and pick half the thyme and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until charred in appearance.
3. Heat a heavy-bottom sauce-pot on moderate heat.
4. Add the remaining olive oil, followed by the onions, garlic and carrot.
5. Allow to sweat for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the wine and bay-leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the wine has reduced by three-quarters.
6. Add the full content of the roasted tomatoes (including the juice of the tomatoes in the tray) to the pot.
7. Add the chicken/vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
8. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes, then season with salt, pepper and sugar.
9. Blend the soup, using a food processor or a hand-blender.
10. Once the soup is blended to a fine consistency, place it over into a clean pot through a very fine sieve, to remove any access tomato skins and seeds.
11. Heat the butter in a pan with the paprika and cook the prawns.

Serve warm with the prawns, thyme, buttered brochette and Leopard’s Leap Pinot Noir Chardonnay.