Roasted Red Pepper Soup

DH and I had tasted this soup a number of times in different restaurants and loved the flavor, so I decided to copy it and make it at home. The roasting of the red peppers is an essential part of the flavor of the soup so you can’t skip it. For the roasting of the peppers, it’s quite simple to do and since that takes about the same amount of time as preparing the stock for the base of the soup you should pop them in the oven first.

So gather your veggie ingredients and preheat your oven to 420 F/220 C.

Scrub your peppers and cut in half removing seeds and membranes. Place cut side down in oiled pan and oil tops (or spray oil).

Roast in hot oven about 40 minutes or till tops are browned and somewhat sunken looking.

While they are roasting in the oven, you prepare the broth. Into a pot which can contain about 8 cups worth of liquid/veggies together place the onion that you’ve quartered shallowly but not cut through all the way and the peeled whole garlic cloves and peeled and thick cut carrots in some mild vegetable oil (I don’t use olive oil for this, it will overpower the delicate flavor of the soup) and lightly saute together in the oil till faintly browned.

Add the uncut mushrooms and shallow quartered but not cut through potato with its skin on (scrubbed first, of course) to the browned veggies.

Without browning mushrooms or potato, off the fire add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the water, about 7 cups and bring to the boil.

Lower to a simmer and cook about 30-40 minutes. The peppers in the oven and the stock should be ready about the same time. Immediately remove the blistered peppers and place in a container with a close fitting top to steam for about 20-30 minutes. Then peel the peppers – the whole process is described in the recipe of Roasted Pepper Salad.

Take the broth off the fire and let cool a bit. You will be removing the mushrooms and potato from the broth. I just popped those mushrooms into my mouth, yum yum. I didn’t add to the blended soup since I wanted the umami flavor but no mushrooms in the actual finished product. The potato is good to eat as is as well. You can add to the broth if you peel it – it will slightly thicken the final soup. I prefer to remove it. You can chop it and add to egg salad or put a little butter on it and salt and have a snack on the side.

Okay now we put it all together. Take a blender (a food processor also works) and put the peppers and broth with the onion and carrots and garlic in. If you have too much broth, you simply make sure to put the onion, garlic and carrots in with as much broth as safely fits and you will manually stir in the remaining broth. For DH I fished a few cloves of garlic out so as not to overwhelm him.

and then add broth

And yep, I saw I exceeded the max line and scooped some liquid out which I added back in after.

Now buzz it all together in the blender, don’t be shy!

Et voila! There you go, your soup is done. Taste to make sure there’s enough salt/pepper and serve with optional sour cream swirled in. I love it with, DH prefers without. A delicate unusual flavor which reheats well. Trust me, they’ll love it.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 kg of red bell peppers, about 4 large peppers – washed and cut in half, seeds and white membranes removed

spray oil or mild vegetable oil

One head garlic, peeled

One medium onion, peeled , shallowly quartered (not cut all the way through)

three carrots peeled and cut into large chunks

3 tablespoons canola or mild vegetable oil

One small potato scrubbed with peel left on and shallowly quartered (not cut all the way through)

4 large white mushrooms, cleaned and left whole

Pinch of pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried parsley

Half a tablespoon of salt

pinch black pepper

7 cups (1656 ml) water

Sour cream to garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 420 F/220 C and take halved red peppers and place into oiled baking pan cut side down and lightly oil tops (spray oil or regular. Do NOT use olive oil for this it will overwhelm the delicate pepper flavor). Place peppers in preheated oven and set timer for about 40 minutes or till peppers brown and sink somewhat. When done, you will put them in a container with a tight lid to steam. However, while they roast, you will prepare your broth.

In pot large enough to hold 7 cups liquid and all the vegetables (except peppers) place the 3 tablespoons oil and the onion, garlic and thick cut carrots. Saute lightly till slightly browned and add the potato and the mushrooms off the fire as well as the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and all the water. Put on the fire and bring to the boil, lower to simmer and cook 30-40 minutes or till vegetables are very soft. Your peppers should be steaming in the closed container while you let the broth cool a bit. Take out your blender/food processor and while broth cools, peel the steamed peppers. Place peppers in blender and add as much broth as blender safely holds, making sure you get the onion, garlic and carrots in the container. If you have additional liquid that doesn’t fit, you will add manually after blending by stirring in. Remove the potato and mushrooms. (I highly recommend eating the mushrooms then and there, they are delectable). The potato can be used in a different dish or eaten with a bit of butter and salt on the side. Blend the peppers with the broth, onion, garlic and carrots till fairly smooth. If the soup isn’t hot enough for you as is, it reheats beautifully. Serve with or without the optional sour cream.