Roasted Pepper Soup

This soup is a rich and spicy foundation to a weekend meal and freezes well. Our local grocery store now has a clearance vegetable rack, right at the front of the produce section. For some inexplicable reason, I feel compelled to buy 5 lbs. of far past-its-prime zucchini.

But here we are and this explains a lot about how I ended up with a whole mess of red, yellow, and orange peppers. A cautionary tale: do not try roasting mini peppers if you expect to peel them afterwards. I did exactly that once and after what felt like hours as a scientist in a pepper lab and almost resorting to using two pairs of tweezers to delicately remove the skins from the thin flesh which nearly disintegrates on contact, the result was paltry and hardly worth the time. Use big bell peppers. Also, never miss an opportunity to roast garlic when you are roasting something else.

Ingredients:

•  1 head garlic with the top cut off and cloves exposed
• 6 red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers
• 2 large carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch stubs
• 3TBS Olive Oil
• 1 can (13.5 oz) of coconut milk (we use A Taste of Thai Lite Coconut Milk)
• 1 chile in adobo chopped fine
• Vegetable broth if thinner consistency is desired

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°

Cover a baking sheet in aluminum foil. Cut a piece of foil large enough to fold around the garlic with little room to spare. Make a cup and pour about 1 TBS olive oil in the bottom. Place the garlic bulb in the foil and seal. Toss the peppers and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the garlic packet in the oven and the pepper/carrot mixture on the baking sheet. Roast everything stirring the peppers and carrots occasionally until skins blister. Place roasted peppers in a large mixing bowl, cover tightly with cling film, and allow to cool for about half an hour. Reserve the carrots and place the garlic packet nearby, also allow to cool before opening.

When peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off, de-seed, and de-stem. Put the peppers in a blender along with carrots, coconut milk, and chopped chile. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the head and also place in the blender. Blend on high until well combined.

Place blended mixture in a stock pot and heat on medium high until bubbling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toppings can add extra character to this simple recipe. Think about pistachios, cilantro, scallions, fresh corn, or crème fraiche. A hearty pumpernickel bread would pair nicely.