Tomato basil soup

You can delight your family with this wonderful, invigorating, and fragrant potage. Since I mixed tomato and basil, it irresistibly reminds me of Italian cuisine dishes. Try it out and let me know your impressions.

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
5 cup oblong cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup carrots, chopped into rings
4 garlic cloves, mashed
3 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves
½ tsp salt + a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper

Decoration:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven at 180°C and line the pan with baking paper. Arrange the tomato halves with the cut side up, coat them with 2 tbsp of olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until tomato peel crumples, and the inside of the tomato remains juicy.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot at moderate temperature. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and ½ tsp salt and cook until softened, for about 8 minutes. Min in the tomato, vegetable broth or water, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, then cook for another 20 minutes.
3. Leave the mixture to cool slightly, then pour it into a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the basil, then blend again.
4. For decoration, mix fresh basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper to taste, in a blender and blend until smooth. Then pour a teaspoon of mixture into each soup plate.