Pureed tomato soup with fried arugula

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 8 tomatoes, quartered
• 400 ml vegetable stock or vegetable broth
• 4 tbsp extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• 100 ml white wine
• 200 ml cream
• 1 m.-large shallot(s), finely diced
• 1 clove(s) garlic, finely diced
• 4 tomatoes, dried, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ chili pepper(s), red, pitted and finely chopped
• ½ tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 100 g arugula, fresh
• e.g. rapeseed oil or sunflower oil for frying
• 1 sprig(s) thyme, fresh
• e.g. whipped cream,

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Fruity, fresh, and spicy tomato soup

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan to 3/4 heat. Add a small piece of shallot to the center of the pan. The oil is hot enough as soon as it bubbles and starts to fry. Add the shallots, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and chili, and sprinkle with the sugar. Sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring, until caramelized. Then add the tomato paste and roast for another minute, stirring. Then add the quartered vine tomatoes and mash them using a potato masher, for example. Sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then deglaze with the white wine, let the alcohol evaporate, top up with the vegetable stock, and add the thyme sprig. Bring everything to a boil briefly, then simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprig. Now purée the soup with a hand blender. This works best if you hold the pan at an angle. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a new pot to remove any remaining seeds and coarse pieces of skin. Add the cream, mix thoroughly, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the soup back to a boil briefly, then puree with a hand blender until foamy and serve in preheated soup bowls. Meanwhile, add about 5 cm of oil to a saucepan and heat to a high heat (160 degrees Celsius). Fry the arugula leaves, one at a time, for 15 seconds each, remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper. Lightly season with salt. Place a dollop of whipped cream in the center of the soup bowls and arrange the fried arugula leaves on top.