Rich, smoky and deeply savoury, this roasted tomato soup gets its signature depth from Noosa Black Garlic Pure Black Garlic Paste. Sweet, charred tomatoes, smoked paprika and silky cream meet the rich umami of black garlic for a soup that is comforting, luxurious and anything but ordinary.
Serve with bubbling melted raclette, tender baby potatoes, sharp cornichons and crusty sourdough on the side. Dunk, drizzle, repeat.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg ripe Roma tomatoes, halved lengthways
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the tray
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons Noosa Black Garlic - Pure Black Garlic Paste
- 125 ml pouring cream, plus extra to serve
- 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 400 g raclette cheese, sliced
- 500 g baby potatoes, boiled until tender
- 12 cornichons
- 1 crusty sourdough loaf, sliced
Method
1. Roast the tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Place the tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a large roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle over the smoked paprika, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Toss gently to coat, then arrange the tomatoes cut-side up.
Roast for 25–30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft, caramelised and lightly charred around the edges.
2. Sauté the onion
While the tomatoes are roasting, heat a splash of extra olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
3. Build the soup
Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins directly into the saucepan. Add the roasted tomatoes along with all of their delicious tray juices.
Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to come together.
4. Blend until smooth
Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until completely smooth. Alternatively, carefully blend the soup in batches.
5. Add the black garlic
Stir through the Noosa Black Garlic Pure Black Garlic Paste until completely incorporated.
Adding the black garlic at the end brings a rich, savoury-sweet depth to the soup, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes with its distinctive balsamic-like umami.
6. Finish with cream and basil
Stir through the pouring cream and most of the torn basil, reserving a little for serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
7. Serve
Ladle the soup into warm bowls, drizzle with a little extra cream and finish with the reserved basil.
Melt the raclette under a hot grill, in a raclette machine or gently in a small pan. Serve immediately alongside the baby potatoes, cornichons and thick slices of crusty sourdough.
Dip the potatoes and sourdough into the melted raclette, dunk them into the smoky tomato soup — or do both.
Notes
About our Pure Black Garlic Paste: Noosa Black Garlic Pure Black Garlic Paste is made from Australian-grown organic Elephant Garlic, carefully aged using our precision-controlled Maillard process. Never fermented, this slow transformation develops the garlic’s naturally sweet, savoury and umami-rich character without the sharp bite of raw garlic.
Make ahead: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. For the freshest black garlic flavour, reheat the soup first and stir through the Pure Black Garlic Paste once removed from the heat.
No raclette? Fontina, Gruyère or a good-quality melting cheddar make delicious alternatives.