This simple recipe may not have a lot of ingredients but it is by no means lacking in depth of flavor. The roasted red peppers are showcased in this dish and there's really no room for anyone else when they take the stage.
Ingredients
3 lbs Red Bell Peppers - halved, cleaned and roasted
4 cups Organic Vegetable Stock
1 half Yellow Onion - chopped
1 large Shallot - chopped
5 cloves garlic - roasted
4-5 sprigs of fresh Thyme (or 4 tsp dried thyme)
1-2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar (or fresh lime juice)
2 tbs Red Curry Paste
1 tsp Hot Sauce (cooks choice)
1 tbs Olive Oil
optional goat cheese crumbles
Instructions
Halve and clean the red peppers and lay them skin side down over a medium flame on a grill. Wrap garlic in foil and place on grill as well. When skin has blackened, remove from flame and seal in plastic bag. (If roasting in the oven, place flat in cookie sheet, skin side up, in middle rack under the broiler. Remove when skins have blackened). Set aside to cool.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large stock pot. Once oil is hot add onions, shallots and thyme. Once onions have softened (10 minutes or so) add salt, pepper, red curry paste, garlic and vegetable stock. (Hot sauce can be added here as well unless you want to wait until the end to see if you need it).
While bringing the broth to a boil, pull the roasted peppers out of the bag and remove the skins. They should have cooled enough to handle and the skins to come off relatively clean. Don't worry about perfection, the blender will take care of any skin you missed.
Rough chop the peppers and add them to the broth. Cook over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the sprigs of thyme before adding to the blender. It usually takes me a couple of batches in the blender to puree it all. Don't fill the blender too full and be sure to remove the plug from the lid and cover with a dish towel or you may have a huge mess. Blend as long as needed to achieve the desired texture. I like mine very smooth so I blend on low for a minute, then on high for another minute.
Once all the soup has been blended, pour it back in the pot and return it to the oven over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Now is the time to taste test and add salt, pepper and hot sauce if needed. This is also when I add the vinegar or lime juice for a little acidity.
Recipe by plenty of snacks... at http://plentyofsnacks.com/roasted-red-pepper-soup/