Tomato soup with cheese & sausage toasts

This hearty tomato soup is filling enough to be a main meal.

Recipe «Tomato soup with cheese & sausage toasts» presented in category Recipes / Soups, to prepare this dish you will need no more 30 minutes. To make this dish at home by prescription from the author sheff would need: 1 bulb fennel, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 long red chillies, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle , 30g butter, 1/2 tsp caster sugar, 5 vine-ripened tomatoes , 400g can Italian diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp white rice, 1/2 thin baguette, 2 free-range pork sausages, 80g bocconcini, 20g finely grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve, 2 thyme sprigs.

Ingredients:

• 1 bulb fennel 
• 1 onion 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 2 long red chillies 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle 
• 30g butter 
• 1/2 tsp caster sugar 
• 5 vine-ripened tomatoes 
• 400g can Italian diced tomatoes 
• 2 tbsp white rice 
• 1/2 thin baguette 
• 2 free-range pork sausages 
• 80g bocconcini 
• 20g finely grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve 
• 2 thyme sprigs 

Instructions

1. Trim fennel, peel onion and garlic, then roughly chop with chillies. Process in a food processor until very smooth. Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel mixture, sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to high. Meanwhile, quarter fresh tomatoes, then process with canned tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Add to fennel mixture with rice and 250ml (1 cup) water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low–medium and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut baguette into 8 x 1cm slices on the diagonal. Drizzle both sides lightly with extra oil. Squeeze sausage meat from casings and press thinly over 4 bread slices. Thinly slice bocconcini and layer over remaining 4 bread slices. Place all slices on an oven tray lined with foil, then scatter with parmesan. Place tray 20cm from element and grill for 8 minutes or until sausage is cooked through and browned, and cheese is melted and browned.
4. Adjust consistency of soup with a little extra water if too thick, then ladle into bowls. Top each with a cheese and a sausage toast. Strip leaves from thyme sprigs and scatter over soup with extra parmesan to serve.