One of the techniques I’ve gotten into this year is making soup with roasted vegetables. Cooking the vegetables prior to making the soup intensifies their flavors, erasing any bitterness and amplifying their true taste. This particular soup will last for a few days in the refrigerator and reheats well. I’ve even packed it in a thermos and taken it along on a winter picnic!
Ingredients:
- 3 red bell peppers
- 4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Sour cream for serving
Preparation:
1. Turn on the broiler. Rub the peppers with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet under the broiler until blackened, turning as needed to get all sides blackened. Then, remove the peppers from the oven and peel the skin and remove the cores. Then chop them finely.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the chopped peppers, chopped tomatoes and paprika. Reduce heat to medium low and cook the vegetables until most of the juices have reduced to nothing, about 15 minutes.
3. Then, pour in the chicken stock, salt, pepper and Tabasco.
4. Stir in chicken stock, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Use a handheld blender and puree the mixture until completely smooth.
6. In a small saucepan melt the butter and add the flour, stirring continuously for one minute. Then stir this into the smooth vegetable soup.
7. Pour the soup into bowls and serve with a drizzle of sour cream in each!
