A gorgeous chilled soup of roasted red pepper, with tomatoes, basil, thyme, and oregano fresh from the garden.
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and roughly chopped
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
8-10 medium tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (or substitute with canned whole, peeled tomatoes)
1 heaping T. thyme, finely chopped
1 heaping T fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 c. fresh basil, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 c. water
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 t. salt
2 t. apple cider vinegar (optional)
*fresh chives to garnish
Directions
Roast red pepper in 500 degree F oven until tender and blackened on all sides and skin appears to bubble and break. Remove from oven and set aside to cool before peeling skins, removing seeds and chopping.
To prepare fresh tomatoes for the soup, heat a medium-sized pot of water over high heat. When water begins to boil, place cleaned tomatoes in the water for a couple of minutes until you see the skin begin to tear and separate from the tomato. Remove and place tomatoes in a bowl of cold water to cool before peeling. Once cool, remove skins and seeds, and roughly chop. Set aside.
Coat a saucepan with olive oil and place on medium heat. Add yellow onion and sauté 3-4 minutes until beginning to look translucent. Add chopped celery and carrots and sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes before adding garlic. Add all remaining ingredients except the red pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium-low. Add chopped red pepper to pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Purée soup in blender until smooth. Transfer soup back into pot, heat on medium-low, and simmer for an additional 35-45 minutes. You can choose to cook more quickly if you’re tight on time — the flavor deepens the longer it simmers, but it is still delicious if cooked in half the time. Feel free to add more basil, thyme, garlic or salt at this stage, so you can achieve your ideal combination of flavors.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool before transferring soup to an airtight container and chilling in the fridge overnight.
Serve chilled the following day and top with chives. Enjoy!
