Tomato, pasta and basil soup

This is a substantial tomato soup. It's really an Italian soup and should only be made when you can get good, tasty, ripe tomatoes. I try and compensate for the fact that you don't get such tasty tomatoes in England, even in the summer, by adding a tin of peeled plum tomatoes, but if you are confident that your tomatoes are good enough, just use fresh ones. Don't think that you shouldn't eat soups in the summer. If they are made with seasonal ingredients they are generally appropriate for this time of year.

5 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
5 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
400g tin peeled Italian plum tomatoes
10 or so fresh basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
170g small tubular pasta
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and when warmed through add the garlic, onion, fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes and half the basil.
• Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add 1.75 litres of water and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
• Bring the soup to a simmer and then cook it very gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, raise the heat and add the pasta. Cook the soup for as long as the directions on the pasta packet indicate, less 1 minute.
• When ready, add the rest of the torn basil leaves and serve with the Parmesan cheese.
• Remember that every time you reheat this soup the pasta will cook some more. Don't allow it to become too soft.