2 x 400g cans tomatoes in juice, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup each: stale French bread cubes, chilled tomato juice
Topping: 1 each: red pepper, onion, tomato
1 cup toasted bread croûtons
6 basil leaves
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Place the tomatoes and juice, garlic, red pepper, basil, olive oil, vinegar and bread cubes in a bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Purée in a food processor. Sieve if preferred. Add enough tomato juice to create a soup consistency. Chill.
To make the topping, seed the pepper and dice. Dice the onion and tomato. Serve on top of the soup with the croûtons, basil, salt and pepper. Serves 6.