Spicy Roasted Tomatoes and Red Bell Pepper Soup

Rustic and easy. Often I crave the simple dishes. There are certain food combinations that simply work extremely well together. One of them for me are tomatoes and bell peppers. Both have a sweet and tangy flavor and the crunchiness of the peppers is a wonderful contrast to the juicy softness of the tomatoes. Add a bit of chili and you've got an explosive flavor!

Roasting both the pepper and tomatoes together is like a beautiful love affair. The sweet harmony of flavors that are intertwined with each other is incredible. I often cannot resist and end up eating a larger part of the roasted vegetables as soon as I pull them out of the oven. So, I have gotten used to making an extra few for the impatient glutton in me.  

This soup is so easy to make: roasted veggies, extra-virgin olive oil, a few garlic cloves and a hint of smoky paprika. The flavor you get is a lovely mix of roasted and garlicky vegetables, just waiting to be enjoyed. The kick for this soup is that I roast the garlic and the chili right along with the tomatoes and bell peppers.

This soup deserves the best and I am very particular to buy the freshest organic produce. Once you've tasted organic tomatoes and peppers you'll never want to go back again. The aroma of the organic produce is intense and the flavor pure and powerful. Not watery or insipid like it's often the case. 

Once the vegetables are pulled out of the oven and the sensational aroma of roasted pepper and garlic fills the kitchen, all I do in throw everything in a large pot and a bit of vegetable stock and puree. How easy is that?

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Come & Join Us!

• Join us for Healthy Family Dinners this mingle
  
• We're looking for good, healthy and nutritious meals
  
• My guest hostess this month is Michelle of What's Cooking Blog
  
• Deadline for your entries - February 9, 2009

 

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Recipe Spicy Roasted Tomatoes and Red Bell Pepper Soup

Ingredients
Printable version of recipe here.

5 large tomatoes, quartered
10-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and quartered
2 red chilies
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
5-6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
Extra-virgin oil
750ml - 1 l vegetable stock
Fine grain fleur de sel
Freshly cracked black pepper
Good pinch of smoked paprika powder
Crema di Balsamico (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Rub two baking sheets with olive oil.
   
   
2. In a mixing bowl mix together the tomatoes, bell peppers, chilies, onions and garlic with a generous drizzle of olive olive oil, a good sprinkle of fleur de sel and cracked black pepper.
   
   
3. Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets and bake in the oven, rotating top to bottom about halfway, for approx. 30-45 minutes. Keep an eye on the vegetables as they begin to brown. As each oven works differently you might have to take them out before the stated time.
   
   
4. About half way through the baking time give the vegetables a mix to allow for even cooking. Basically you want to try and extract some of the liquid found in the vegetables and get them to caramelize so that their natural sweetness is released.
   
   
5. Take the sheets out and peel the garlic, then throw all the ingredients in a large bowl, blender or food processor, add the stock and purée according to your desired consistency. I like mine thick with a bit of chunks in them.
   
   
6. Pour the soup into a pot and gently bring to a boil to heat through, sprinkle with some smoked paprika powder and taste for seasoning.
   
   
7. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of creme di balsamico (if using).

Serving tips: I love serving simple grilled cheese sandwiches with this. Take a few slices of whole grain toast and cover with your favorite cheese. Place another toast slice. Heat some olive oil in a pan and gently roast the sandwich until the cheese melts. Together with a salad this is one gorgeous meal!

 

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Verdict

When there is a chill outside, I find nothing satisfies us more than a good bowl of soup. The heat of the chilies is always a good contrast to the nip in the air. There is soup and then there is SOUP. This is certainly SOUP; good fresh products, a delicious cooking method and it's no fuss. This makes soup a SOUP in my books. How about you?

I am sending this warm SOUP to my dear blogger buddy Lisa for No Croutons Required, who is looking for Vegetable Soups. Hope you like this one Lisa!

You might like these soups from WFLH:

Chestnut Potato Soup	Mushroom Cream Soup with Thyme Parmesan Chips	Red Bell Pepper Soup

From around the blogs:

• Fall Medley Vegetable Soup - La Tartine Gourmande
• Spicy Vegetable Soup - Karina's Kitchen
• Mushroom and Barley Soup - Morsels & Musings

Daily Tiffin Reading Tip:

•  Diets, Diets, Diets - Which One's For Me? by me ;-)

 

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