Roasted Tomato And Fennel Soup With Basil And Garlic Pesto

• 3 pound 4 ounces firm, ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large fennel bulb
• 2 onions, peeled
• 1 head of garlic, sliced in half
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 cup hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 ounce red quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large handful fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, place in a deep baking dish and sprinkle with the sugar. Cut the fennel and onions in half, then slice and place together on a baking tray with the unpeeled garlic. Drizzle the vegetables with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven to roast. The fennel and onions will take about 30–40 minutes and the tomatoes 45–55 minutes.
3. Once cooked, remove the skins from the tomatoes and squeeze the garlic out of its skin; discard the skins. Puree all the vegetables, then place in a saucepan with the stock and bring to the boil. When the soup begins to boil add the quinoa grain, reduce the heat, cover, and cook on low heat for 15–20 minutes. Meanwhile make the pesto.
4. Blend all the ingredients together. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the pesto. Adjust the seasoning and serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Alternatively, you can serve the soup as is with a dollop of pesto.