September 2020 Update: We love our Roccbox Pizza oven and as it turns out it is ideal for roasting your tomatoes and bell peppers. To celebrate the new flavors we ahva new video for you. Enjoy!
This soup started out as gazpacho, at some point in our cooking past. Maybe it could still be called gazpacho, I haven’t consulted with the Wordwide Soup Taxonomical Organization (if such a thing exists). It’s the ideal tonic at the end of a hot day, with its deep red color and a sweet/sour snap. True, you do have to generate a little heat roasting the veggies, but it’s well worth it, I’m telling you. (I can tell you because even though this is Valerian’s recipe, I’m writing it up today).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5G3AJLqo0Q’
Roasted red pepper and tomato soup
We usually blend the soup base until it’s quite smooth, and then add some chopped cucumber for a little texture; I love putting in bite-sized pieces of fresh mozzarella, too. Sometimes we go crazy and add little crispy-fried slices of zucchini. Put your own spin on it and add some chili or spices to suit your mood!
Ingredients
Makes a meal for two, first course for four
- 2 pounds tomatoes
- 1 head garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- pepper to taste
To serve (optional)
- chopped cucumber
- fresh mozzarella
- Cut off the base of the garlic.
- Put the vegetables and the garlic into a roasting pan and broil on high heat (450° F/230° C), turning the pepper and tomatoes every 5 minutes. The skin will begin to blacken.
- When the tomatoes are soft, remove them from the roasting pan and remove and discard their skins.
- When bell pepper is charred on all sides, remove the pan from the oven. Cover the pepper with a paper towel and let it sit for 2 minutes. While the pepper is cooling, peel the garlic.
- Slip the skin off the pepper and discard; roughly chop the flesh.
- Core the tomatoes and put the tomatoes, pepper and garlic into a food processor (you could also use an immersion blender). Process them for 30 seconds; the mixture will still be a little chunky.
- Add the salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil. Process for 30 more seconds or until smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hours.
- For serving, add diced cucumber and chunks of mozzarella for a more substantial soup.
Method
