1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the onion,garlic and salt,then cook until the onion is translucent,about 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add tomato paste and cook,stirring,for 2 minutes. Add sun-dried tomato (with its oil) and the crumbled stock cube. Cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add canned tomato,water (use water to rinse the cans),sugar and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes,or until the tomatoes have broken down. Using a stick blender,blend the soup until smooth.

4. Ladle into bowls. Top with extra sun-dried tomatoes,if using,and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with croutons on the side for dunking.

5. Crostini:Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil,and sprinkle with salt. Place bread slices on a baking tray and bake for 8 minutes,turning halfway,until crispy and light golden. Serve with soup.

Note:You can substitute a chicken stock cube for the vegetable stock cube,or you can use vegetable or chicken stock instead of a stock cube and water.

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