Asha's Spiced Tomato Soup with Chilli-Cheese Toasts

Ingredients

2 pounds (907g) early girl or plum tomatoes, halved
1 white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1 head garlic, top ¼-inch cut off
3 tablespoons (45ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Guntur Sannam Chilli Powder
2 teaspoons Surya Salt
1½ cup (170g) grated Monterey Jack or low-moisture mozzarella
1 cup (113g) grated sharp white cheddar
⅓ cup (14g) roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnishing
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 serrano pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Pahadi Pink Garlic powder
½ teaspoon Jodhana Cumin seeds
1 sweet or sour baguette, sliced in half lengthwise
3 to 4 cups (710 to 946ml) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Heavy whipping cream, for finishing, optional
Freshly cracked Aranya Black Pepper, for garnishing

Methods

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a rimmed half or large sheet pan (you want a pan big enough for everything to be in a single layer). Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garam masala, chilli powder, and 1½ teaspoons salt, toss to coat, and spread the tomatoes and onions into a single layer with the cut side of the garlic head facing down. Roast on the bottom rack of the oven until the tomatoes get slumpy and start to brown in places and the onions soften, 32 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the toasts. Combine the grated cheeses, chopped cilantro, green onions, serrano pepper, garlic powder, and cumin seeds in a bowl and mix well. Place the halved baguette on a parchment or foil-lined sheet pan and divide the cheese mixture between the number of sliced bread you have, arranging it into an even layer. Set aside.
Remove the tomatoes and onions from the oven, leaving the oven on.
To finish the soup, if using a blender, transfer the roasted tomatoes and onions to the jar of the blender. Squeeze the head of garlic to release the roasted cloves into the blender, then discard the leftover head. Starting on low and increasing slowly to high (hot mixtures expand in the blender, so be careful!), blend until smooth. Transfer the blended tomato mixture to a large pot. Add 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock to the blender, swish around to free any leftover blended tomatoes, add to the pot along with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and stir to combine. If the soup is a little too thick, add the remaining 1 cup of stock. (If using an immersion blender, you can transfer the tomato and onions directly to the pot, blend until smooth with the immersion blender, then add the stock.) Place the soup over medium heat, bring to a simmer, stir in the lemon juice, taste, and season with more salt or lemon juice, if necessary. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and keep warm while you finish the toasts.
Meanwhile, place the prepared toasts on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and golden on top, 7 to 10 minutes.
To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls, garnish with a drizzle of heavy cream, if desired, a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and a few cracks of black pepper, and enjoy with chilli-cheese toasts for dunking.

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