I may have been a little over-zealous at the farmers’ market when I saw how gorgeous and inexpensive the sweet peppers were this past weekend. I can’t recall my thought process, but apparently, I had in mind making stuffed peppers, Pad Thai, fajitas, AND some sort of slaw, in addition to eating them raw for a snack. It would be pepper-MANIA in our kitchen!
What was I thinking? I failed to take into account that we had company coming, and back-to-back events that gave me little time in the kitchen for the next several days. So there they sat.
Finally this morning, I had a block of time between conference calls where I could catch up on all things domestic. Into the laundry went the guest towels and sheets, out to the curb went the garbage with remnants of our party {so embarrassing when wine bottles spill out of the recycling bin and roll down the driveway}.
Now for the peppers… I decided they’d make a great soup. I’d had Roasted Red Pepper Soup a number of times at restaurants, but never made it at home. Within half an hour, I surprised myself with a delicious new addition to my repertoire! And it’s very healthy – blending it gives it a velvety texture without the addition of cream (though you could certainly add it).
I enjoyed some for lunch with a little side salad. The rest goes into the freezer for an evening when we’re short on time and inspiration! Hmmm, it would go great with Mini-Reuben Sandwiches too…
- 8 red/yellow/orange peppers, quartered and seeded
- 6 tomatoes, quartered and seeded
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbs. honey
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 cup leaves + additional for garnish)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon
- pinch sugar
- kosher salt to taste
- Turn oven on to broil and place top oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Distribute the peppers on two of the sheets (skin side up), the tomatoes on the other (skin side up).
- Broil the peppers, one sheet at a time, until blackened and charred. Remove and place in tightly covered bowl for 15 minutes (this allows the peppers to continue steaming, and makes the skins easy to remove).
- Broil the tomatoes, until starting to wrinkle and blacken. Remove from oven to cool slightly, then remove skins. (I wear gloves to do this, especially if I've had a recent manicure!).
- Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add peppers, tomatoes, broth and honey and stir together. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is smooth. (Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender. Cover the lid with a dish towel while blending, as hot liquids tend to find their way out of a blender!)
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- For cilantro oil, mix fresh chopped cilantro, olive oil, lemon and sugar in a mini-food processor or shake vigorously in a glass jar. Add salt to taste.
- Place soup in bowls, and drizzle about 1 Tbs. of Cilantro Oil over each serving. Garnish with cilantro leaf.
If you’re not a cilantro fan, you could use regular basil pesto as a garnish, but the cilantro oil is delicious.
This soup is also great served cold or at room temperature, which makes it a great appetizer option. {Try serving in shot glasses.}
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