Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This soup is a wonderful way to use the last of summers bounty. It's flavorful, quite easy to assemble and its wonderful color belongs on an artist's palette. The only downside to all this is that you'll need a blender or food processor to puree the vegetables. If you are fastidious you'll also want to pour the soup through a fine mesh strainer to capture those odd bits and bobs that escape the blender blades. The soup can be served warm or cold and it's perfect to pack in a thermos to offer as a warmer at the game. I prefer to serve the soup warm, but it was actually developed to be served cold. Remember cold soups require more salt than those that are served warm, so adjust seasonings accordingly. Hot or cold the soup should be allowed to rest and ripen before it is served. I think you'll enjoy this. Here's the recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2-1/4 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 large red bell peppers, quartered, seeded
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 cups water (approximate measure)
Heavy cream (optional)
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange tomatoes (cut side up), bell peppers, onion and garlic cloves on large baking sheet. Drizzle oil over; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until brown and tender, turning peppers and onion occasionally, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool.
2) Transfer vegetables and any accumulated juices to processor. Add thyme leaves. Puree soup, gradually adding enough water to thin soup to desired consistency. Chill soup for 3 to 24 hours. Reheat if serving warm. If soup becomes too thick, thin with additional water.
3) Adjust seasoning. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with heavy cream if desired. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if using. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Bacon and Potato Soup - Yum Sugar
Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup - Smitten Kitchen
Split Pea Soup with Pancetta - Bread and Honey
Spinach White Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup - Closet Cooking
Pureed Sweet Potato Soup - Saveur
Bacon and Cabbage Soup - Epicurious


This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Red Pepper Relish

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The horror! Local berries of all sorts, have simultaneously appeared on the shelves of our farmer's markets and roadside stands. The berries are fully ripened and need immediate attention if their wonderful flavor is to be captured and preserved. I've pushed the raspberries and blueberries to the side for the time being, but I'm up to my elbows, literally, in flats of strawberries. My hands look like those of a surgeon in a trauma unit and words can't begin to describe the chaos that is currently my kitchen. I've been known to chuckle, sometimes discretely, at young managers who measured their own importance by the size of their staffs. I escaped that trap when I was working, but I've succumbed to ego in my kitchen. Forgive me, just this once, as I report my "body count." That would be 18 pints of freezer jam, 12 (1-gallon) bags of flash frozen berries, eight pints of raspberry syrup and five glorious desserts that I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks. I was making strawberry salsa when I remembered this recipe that is based on one originally developed by Michael Symon. It is a sweet, deliciously spicy relish that can make eggs and sandwiches feel important. It's also great as an alternative topping for burgers or fish. For the record, the only thing it has in common with the strawberries is its glorious red color. I was thinking red today, and it made sense to make this before I restored order to the kitchen. Here's the recipe for a wonderful and uncommon relish. It will keep for a month in the refrigerator.

Red Pepper Relish ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Michael Symon

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced red onion or shallot
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
Kosher salt
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and finely diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon toasted coriander seeds
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1) Add olive oil to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and warm until oil begins to shimmer. Add onions, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add red peppers and jalapenos and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add corainder seeds and cook for 1 minute longer.
2) Add sugar and vinegar to pan and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Add orange juice and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has completely reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Add cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate. Yield: 2 cups.

You might also like these recipes:
Blueberry Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Watermelon, Black Bean and Corn Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Thai Cucumber Relish - One Perfect Bite
Corn Relish - SlashFood
Green Tomato Relish - Mommy's Kitchen
Mango, Red Pepper and Cilantro Salsa - Cook Sister
Mango Chutney - Ciao Chow Linda