A bowl of piping hot soup with freshly baked bread, on cold winter nights is soul food. Roasting the vegetables intensifies their flavour.
I have used pickled jalapeno as I like a slight tang in my soup. Feel free to omit it or use fresh red chili instead to add more spice.
Ingredients Tomatoes 250 gms Red Bell pepper 1 Garlic 1 pod Onion 1 medium Salt to taste EVOO 2 tbsp Pepper to taste Pickled Jalapeño 1 Basil leaves a few Method
Wash and pat dry tomatoes and red Bell pepper.
Slice off the top of garlic pod.
Peel the onion.
In a baking sheet lined with parchment paper keep the tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic pod and onion.
Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil(EVOO), salt and pepper over the vegetables. Rub it all over them.
Bake on a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or until tender.
Once done immediately transfer bell pepper into a bowl and cover with cling film.
Once it cools down, peel the skin and remove the seeds.
Peel the skin off the tomatoes also.
Remove the pulp from garlic pod.
Use only 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, keep the remaining in the fridge.
Puree all the ingredients.
Pour some water over the baking tray to collect all the remainants of the vegetables.
Add this to the puree.
Add more water or vegetable stock to adjust the consistency of the soup.
Take a tbsp of EVOO and fry basil leaves, keep them aside.
Pour the puree in the same sauce pan.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Heat it well.
Serve it piping hot, garnished with fried basil leaves and a drizzle of EVOO.