February 17, 2013

Christina's Roasted Bell Pepper, Eggplant and Tomato Soup


Last night I was having one of those moments where I was incredibly hungry, but I didn't feel

like chewing (yes, I am that lazy). The weather had been nice, but then turned cold, as what

happens in Seoul, so I was nostalgic for the summer but wanted to take advantage of the cold

weather. Then I was like, what about soup? Usually I don’t use my oven in the summer, so

I made this. There are multiple steps but you get a soup with a smooth, bisque like texture.

Paired with a Greek salad and some crusty bread, this could be a fabulous dinner. I like to

think of bisques as a “layer” soup. This is great when topped with olives, toasted nuts, bread

and vegan cheese (which I can include the recipe for if desired). I really enjoyed this soup.

Hopefully you will too.





Ingredients:

5 large tomatoes, chopped

2 large onions, diced

2 red bell peppers

2 medium sized eggplants, peeled and chopped

1 cup mushrooms roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic

2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 tablespoon rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste




Directions:

1.First you should preheat your oven to 400 degrees faranheit. (200 C). Then, on the

eyes of your stove put one red bell pepper on each eye. While watching it closely, burn

until it’s completely charred black. This will take about 15 minutes. So if you’re like me

and multitask, you can chop the other vegetables. After your bell pepper is charred

black, immediately place them into a Tupperware bowl and cover. Leave for 20 minutes.

While that’s sweating itself out, on a slightly oiled baking dish, add the garlic, eggplant




2.and mushrooms. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the

oven for about 20 minutes.




3.In a large pot, heat up the remaining olive oil. Add the diced onion and over medium

low heat, cook the onions until they turn translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.


4. Next, add the 2 cups water and the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the water is boiling,

which should be about 20 minutes.




5. Depending on where you start, take the bell peppers out of the Tupperware container

and peel the charred skin off. Then cut them into pieces, careful to remove the seeds.

The eggplant, mushrooms and garlic should be finished as well. Combine them in a

bowl.




6.Once your tomatoes are done cooking, in a blender or food processor, add the tomato

mixture to the roasted vegetables (you can puree all of it if you’d like, but I only pureed

about 75% of it.). Then blend until you get a smooth creamy texture. Return to the pot.




7. Next, add the rosemary, oregano, parsley, and liquid smoke. Add salt and pepper to

taste. Heat until it comes to a boil. Then cover and reduce to simmer. Let it simmer for

about 35 minutes, or until all the flavors are thoroughly combined stirring occasionally.

At the 30 minute mark add the lemon juice.


8. Uncover after 35 minutes are up. Serve with the desired garnishments. Like I said,

this goes great with vegan cheese, crusty bread (older bread will be great because it

absorbs the soup better), toasted nuts and almonds. It sticks to your ribs without making

you sleepy. Enjoy!




Serves about 8



Check out Christina's blog for more yummy recipes! 

www.philosophyandletters.blogspot.com