No croutons required - Spicy Tomato and Fennel Soup

So this is my submission for a new food blogging event called No Croutons Required. This event is the brainchild of Lisa from Lisa's Kitchen and Holler from Tinned Tomatoes, 2 blogs which I have only come across in the last couple of months but am already addicted (along with the other 100 blogs I read on a weekly basis). Pictures are what draws me to a blog and if they don't get me after the first couple of posts then I am inclined not to read any further but these are 2 well photographed blogs in my opinion!


This is another Bill Granger recipe so if you're getting sick of me going on about his fabulousness then look away................now. But seriously you don't want to really, this is an honest to goodness soup with just tomato, fennel, garlic and a small carrot in it and not much else really. I'd like more fennel but that's just me and I will DEFINITELY be making this again (and since I drafted this it's all gone even with me intending to bring it to work for lunch during the week!

Here's what you need

2kg vine ripened tomatoes
1/2 fennel bulb finely sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small carrot, diced
60ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sea salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to Gas 6. Put the tomatos, garlic, carrot and fennel in a tin, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover the tin with tin foil. Put into the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Then uncover and roast for another 30 mins. When done put everything into a pot/large bowl and blend. You could do it in a food processor either but I used my handheld blender thingy. Enjoy!