Let's Cook
35 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
There's something so comforting about a cheesy, melty toast bite dunked into a warm tomato soup. Buddy loves cooking this for his family in the colder months!
Recipe From
Ingredients
1 carrot
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 celery stick
olive oil
1 organic vegetable or chicken stock cube
2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
4 slices of bread
85g Cheddar cheese
a few sprigs of basil
200ml milk
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Method
- Peel and chop the carrot, onion and garlic, then trim and finely slice the celery. Place a large saucepan on a medium heat, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then scrape in the chopped vegetables.
- Cook for 10 minutes with the lid on (leaving a little gap), or until softened, stirring occasionally. Crumble in the stock cube, carefully top up with 500ml of boiling water and stir to dissolve.
- Scrunch in the tomatoes (or tip in and break up with a spoon as you go), then turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, pop the lid back on and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally.
- Toast one side of the bread slices under the grill until golden, turn over, then coarsely grate over the Cheddar and place back under the grill until oozy and melty.
- Remove the pan from the heat, pick in most of the basil leaves and pour in the milk and balsamic, then carefully blitz with a stick blender until smooth (use a tea towel to protect your hands from little splashes).
- Taste and season, if needed, then ladle the soup into serving bowls or mugs. Slice the toast into soldiers and serve on the side for dunking.
Buddy's new show, Cooking Buddies, airs on CBBC and iPlayer in July 2024.
Although prepping vegetables is a great way to practise your knife skills, if you want to save time, swap the carrot, onion and celery for 300g of ready-prepped frozen diced base veg mix – you can find this in most supermarkets.
Jamie wholeheartedly believes that cooking is up there as one of the most valuable skills you can teach a child. Getting kids excited about food, where it comes from and how to cook it, gives them a better chance of being healthier and happier in the long run. When cooking with kids, use your common sense to determine what jobs they can help you with, depending on their age and skill level. It’s always good to start small, with jobs such as mixing and measuring, then progress to elements of a recipe, then go on to slightly trickier techniques over time. The more they cook, the better they’ll get. Make sure you supervise them when using heat or sharp utensils like knives and box graters, and teach them about the importance of washing their hands before they start, and after handling raw meat and fish, as well as other basic hygiene rules. Most of all, have fun with it, and encourage them to give things a go.
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