Fire-Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Fire-Roasted Red Pepper Soup 

I knew when I took my flip-flops out of the closet that I had jinxed us.  And now here we are, April 14 and snow.  If you blinked you missed it, but we did have flurries today.  The wind was brutal and my trip to the mailbox turned into a Winnie-the-Pooh’s rendition of The Blustery Day (A.A. Milne, 1968). We are back to soup.  Deeply warm, deeply satisfying, and deeply easily to make SOUP.  You will love this soup even if you do not like red peppers.  Seems odd, but true – now if you do not like the taste of tomatoes, keep moving along.  

First things first:  I have made this by taking fresh red peppers, charring them over an open flame (have done on grill and actually on my gas stove).  Then I popped them immediately in thick freezer zip lock bags and “sweated” the pepper.  Then when they are cool enough to touch, I would spend ENDLESS amounts of time elbow-deep in charred peppers trying desperately to crape off the black skin without losing any of the precious, delicate meat of the pepper.  I did not have fun.  Not even when I tried it again, did I find this fun.  Then I found out that you can buy jars of FIRE-ROASTED sweet red peppers for $1.00 each on the $1.00 aisle at Sav-Way.  You may find them in dozens of other stores for dozens of other prices, but this is my go-to.  

Now, these jars of which I speak are only 8.3 ounces.  The sweet red peppers are packed in water so the whole 8.3 ounces is not just peppers.  It takes a few jars.  The actual recipe calls for 4 pounds of red peppers – but remember that is with the “insides” and you also lose some of the pepper with the charring.  So, my best guess is that it would take about 8 of these jars to get enough pepper taste to satisfy the requirements of the design of this soup.  Buy a couple more jars if you like just in case.  

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil (start with less and add as you need for sautéing)

½ - ¾ cup minced onions (finely chopped)

¼ - ½ cup minced garlic

8 jars of fire-roasted sweet red peppers (purée before adding to soup)

2 cups diced tomatoes (can use canned)

1 can tomato paste

4 chicken bouillon cubes 

2 cups water

1 T dried or 3T fresh basil

½ T dried thyme leaves or 1 T fresh chopped thyme 

1 – 2 T of Slap Yo Mama Cajun seasonings (sub your favorite brand)

Salt and pepper to taste

How-to:

1.  Add olive oil to pot and when it gets hot add the onion and garlic.  Continue to sauté until the onions are translucent.
2. If you are smart, you will be using the canned peppers so dump them into a blender (or bowl for immersion blender) and purée.  
3. Add the sautéed onion and garlic and blend them in as well. 
4. Same for tomatoes – add to blender and purée all.  
5. Then add all you blended to the pot and add:
1. Tomato paste
2. Chicken bouillon cubes
3. Water
6. Bring to a simmer and hold it there for about 20 minutes.
7. Add the basil, thyme, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.
8. Taste it — it should be smooth with a tomato taste with underlying pepper taste.  
9. If your knees buckle slightly from the amazing taste – you are there!  If something tastes a bit weak, add more Cajun, more basil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Make it bend to your will!!

Serve it hot.  It works nicely with a quick topping — in a blender:

1.     Mix together ¼ cup sour cream

2.    With ¼ cup heavy cream

3.    About ¼ cup cilantro 

4.    Salt and pepper

Ladle a big bowl of this wonderful soup — plop a nice big spoon of cool topping in the middle and let your taste buds lose all their worries. 

You too.  Worry robs you of the joys of today.  I started this with a reference to Winnie the Pooh – let me end with one.  Pooh and Piglet are walking through the forest and Piglet says, “You know, Pooh, one day we are going to die.”  “Yes,” says Pooh, “That is true.  But all other days we are going to live.”  Don’t let today get by you without LIVING.