Tomato Coriander Soup with heart shaped fruit Scones

Ingredients

• For Tomato Soup:
• 1 tbspn olive oil
• 4 garlic pearls deskined and chopped fine
• 4-5 whole black pepper corns
• to taste Salt
• 2 large tomatoes washed,desseded and chopped roughly
• 100 gm fresh coriander leaves and stems
• Scottish fruit scones:
• 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Cup (1/2 Stick) Margarine
• 2 rounded tbsp castor Sugar
• 2/3 Cup Milk
• 1/4 cup raisins or Sultanas

Steps

1. Tomato Soup:
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic and pepper corns till the garlic turns slightly brown and aromatic
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté on Low heat covered till the tomato skin is almost loosened/peeled off
4. After keeping aside a few leaves for garnish, add the coriander leaves and sauté for 2 minutes and take off heat
5. Let cool and blend fine with very little water if needed
6. Transfer the soup to the saucepan once again
7. Add salt and cook the soup on Low heat until thick /has achieved the desired consistency
8. Serve warm garnished with coriander leaves reserved aside
9. Tip: if you need to get the soup to thicken quickly, dissolve 1 tbsn cornflour in 2 tbspn water and add it to the simmering soup
10. Scottish fruit scones:
11. Set oven to 220C
12. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl, rub in margarine using your fingers – or cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender.
13. Stir in the sugar and sultanas.then add milk a little at a time while mixing to a stiff dough with a fork. Be careful not to overmix as that can make the scones 'tough' (not soft and crumbly as they should be).
14. Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into heart shape or rounds (as the traditional Scottish scone) using a cookie cutter
15. Place on baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes, or until scones are risen and golden
16. Serve warm or at room temperature with the Tomato Soup