Recipe Help: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

[NimaCooks]

I'm an amateur trying to strengthen my culinary repertoire in the realm of meals that are not built on a foundation of protein or pasta/rice and still hearty and satisfying. I recently tried my hand at a fire roasted red pepper soup recipe I found and have mixed feelings about the results.

This recipe, in a nutshell, calls for a onion and garlic base seasoned with ground fennel, cumin, red pepper and sweet paprika. After the garlic is buttery soft, 3 fire roasted red peppers are added with a quart of water and after simmering for 10-15 min, the whole batch is pureed and a little lemon juice is added. It is served topped with goat cheese.

What I got was a lot thinner than what I would have liked. Also the pepper flavor was too sharp on my palate so I decided to give it a day and see if it would come together. After simmering the next day to thicken it slightly, there was improvement in the flavor and consistency, but I'm considering amending the recipe.

At this point, my number one option is to add some chopped mushrooms while the onions and garlic are cooking to give it more of an earthy baseline. Any ideas on what kind to use? I'm leaning towards cremini or plain button.

I was also thinking about roasting some tomatoes in the oven with thyme and tossing those in with the peppers, but I want to have soup, not thin pasta sauce when I'm done.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

[merstar]

A potato would be good in there as a thickener. Here's a fantastic pepper soup, which I've made several times. I usually use 1 yellow and 1 red pepper, add extra garlic, a little extra olive oil, etc:

YELLOW PEPPER SOUP

http://www.recipezaar.com/22104

[stovetop]

Roast your peppers first in the oven-- cool and peel skins -add some tomatoes olive oil and garlic and roast again until soft in oven. - Sautee some onions with bay leaves and some fresh thyme with a very small amount of carrot. Add roasted mixture with some chicken stock and simmer -blend with hand blender. Add fresh basil and green onions.

Check acidity--

Add small amount of sugar or honey or maple syrup. Contrast with some balsamic. Check S&P

steve

[stovetop]

Also the pepper flavor was too sharp on my palate

I believe this is the char from the peppers- did you peel them? Were they very charred? This is why I roast them whole- for me this is better you get a way sweeter product.

Steve

[jackal10]

1. You need some stock or equivalent to add the Umani element. I would use chicken stock, If you are vegetarian, then use either parve chicken stock (e.g Osem.Telma or Carmel) or miso or soy plus mirin or sherry..

2. I'd leave out the fennel, cumin (umani subs) and the red pepper and paprika - the colour should come from the peppers

3. Soften onion and garlic, Butter would be good.

4. Lots more sweet peppers - maybe 6, and you did remove the seeds and rub off the char I hope The pepper puree is the thickener.

5. Salt and pepper

6. Same thing is good cold set as a gel

Edited August 17, 2007 by jackal10 (log)

[saltedgreens]

I'm an amateur trying to strengthen my culinary repertoire in the realm of meals that are not built on a foundation of protein or pasta/rice and still hearty and satisfying. I recently tried my hand at a fire roasted red pepper soup recipe I found and have mixed feelings about the results.

This recipe, in a nutshell, calls for a onion and garlic base seasoned with ground fennel, cumin, red pepper and sweet paprika. After the garlic is buttery soft, 3 fire roasted red peppers are added with a quart of water and after simmering for 10-15 min, the whole batch is pureed and a little lemon juice is added. It is served topped with goat cheese.

What I got was a lot thinner than what I would have liked. Also the pepper flavor was too sharp on my palate so I decided to give it a day and see if it would come together. After simmering the next day to thicken it slightly, there was improvement in the flavor and consistency, but I'm considering amending the recipe.

At this point, my number one option is to add some chopped mushrooms while the onions and garlic are cooking to give it more of an earthy baseline. Any ideas on what kind to use? I'm leaning towards cremini or plain button.

I was also thinking about roasting some tomatoes in the oven with thyme and tossing those in with the peppers, but I want to have soup, not thin pasta sauce when I'm done.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

←

Ratios:

1 part onion to 5 parts red pepper

1 part garlic to 5 parts onion

pepper stock is some vegetable broth made from peppers, onions, garlic, herbs, etc.

Roast the peppers over flame. Peel skin. Remove seeds. set aside.

In light olive oil, brown your onion and garlic.

(add a little tomato paste optional)

Add spices and dried herbs.

Add white or red wine (your choice) and scrape the goodies from the bottom of the pan (deglaze).

Add peppers and pepper stock. Bring to boil.

Add fresh herbs.

Purée.

Cook 10-30 minutes or so over medium heat depending on how you want to mellow the flavors. Let rest overnight if desired.

Garnish with fresh cracked pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and goat cheese.

These are rough guidelines. Your thickening agent is red bell pepper (red peppers make excellent thickeners, velvety). The sharpness of the peppers will certainly be mellowed if you roast them. Browning the onions and garlic add complexity also. Caramelized tomato paste also.

Sorry if I don't express myself well.

Just remember, you are calling it a red pepper soup so it should taste primarily of red peppers.

[Pam R]

I agree with a lot of what's been said. Definitely add some potato to the soup. When you puree it, the potato will help to thicken it and cut back on the 'sharp' pepper taste. I also like to use stock, instead of water. I don't go for a lot of spices in my soup - simply saute onions and garlic in some olive oil, add some roasted and peeled peppers, raw potatoes, stock, salt and black pepper. Simmer until everything is soft then puree. Add a splash of cream before serving - helps to 'smooth' out the flavours.

[MarkIsCooking]

As an alternate to the potato to add starch and thicken, consider giving juiced corn a try. I sometimes make a sauce with juiced corn and some seasoning and just love it. Just be careful on this, because it can get quite thick (as a standalone sauce) but I'm guessing you have enough volume in the soup not to worry too much.

-mark-

[Milagai]

1. You need some stock or equivalent to add the Umani element. I would use chicken stock, If you are vegetarian, then use either parve chicken stock (e.g Osem.Telma or Carmel) or miso or soy plus mirin or sherry..

←

Did you seriously mean to recommend chicken stock for

vegetarians?

Unless you know of some chickens that grow on trees,

chicken stock = dead bird juice = NOT vegetarian.

Unless parve chicken stock is fake chicken stock made

entirely from plant based products, in which case it would be OK.

And that's umami, not umani....

[WiscoNole]

Definitely use stock and thicken with a white or blond roux.

[tim]

Hi,

This recipe adds portabellas to the mix.

1 Pd. portabellas, remove gills, clean and cut into 1/2" cubes (12 Oz. net)

1 Qt. rich chicken stock

1/2 cup chopped shallots or red onions

4 large red peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped (10 oz. net.)

Seasoning to taste: salt, ground chipotle, white pepper

Garnish: Creme fraiche or sour cream mixed with pimenton to taste

Saute cubed mushrooms in butter to well caramelized - set aside

Sweat shallots in butter till soft - do not caramelize - set aide

Bring chicken stock to simmer in a sauce pan

Add peppers and shallots

Simmer 15 minutes

Blend with imersion blender to desired texture

Season to taste with salt, chipotle and white pepper.

Simmer 5 minutes.

Adjust seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes

Add mushrooms and serve with creme fraiche/pimenton

Tim

[Pam R]

Unless parve chicken stock is fake chicken stock made

entirely from plant based products, in which case it would be OK.

Parve foods are foods that contain no dairy or meat ingredients and are generally plant based (they can contain fish or eggs). The chicken soup bases jackal10 mentions are parve and completely vegetarian (vegan). They are often used in kosher cooking when preparing a meal where no meat is allowed.

[Milagai]

Unless parve chicken stock is fake chicken stock made

entirely from plant based products, in which case it would be OK.

Parve foods are foods that contain no dairy or meat ingredients and are generally plant based (they can contain fish or eggs). The chicken soup bases jackal10 mentions are parve and completely vegetarian (vegan). They are often used in kosher cooking when preparing a meal where no meat is allowed.

←

Thank you for the clarification.

Now I shall know this...

[NimaCooks]

Hey Everyone,

First of all, thanks for all the feedback and great advice. I took a couple more cracks at the soup this weekend. I tried once with potatoes and a little bit of carrot, and while the soup was delicious, I agree with saltedgreens- red pepper soup should taste primarily of red peppers. This one had a "red pepper meets cream of potato" taste to it. The carrots were a nice touch though. The next time I tried more peppers, 6 to be exact. This worked out much better. The soup was thicker and heartier, but it tasted much better the next day after it had a chance to come together.

Let me quickly address a few things:

- I did peel and seed the red peppers after roasting. I figured it would just be understood that roasted bell peppers would be peeled before being used.

- While I like the idea of adding chicken stock to a vegetable soup to give it heartier flavor, that would no longer make it a vegetarian soup. So it doesn't really achieve the primary objective. Vegetable stock would be a possibility, but I haven't found one that has much flavor. Maybe a bay leaf would help next time.

Thanks again and happy cooking...

[Pontormo]

- While I like the idea of adding chicken stock to a vegetable soup to give it heartier flavor, that would no longer make it a vegetarian soup. So it doesn't really achieve the primary objective. Vegetable stock would be a possibility, but I haven't found one that has much flavor. Maybe a bay leaf would help next time.

←

I'm not sure I understand the hesitancy unless you're cooking for a vegetarian or vegan. Chicken stock is often used to enhance the flavor of vegetables when the latter nonetheless takes center stage.

Since we're in the thick of tomato season, I'd encourage you to try out your idea for incorporating roasted tomatoes. While I find most soups that feature roasted peppers alone too bitter, I adore something that Deborah Madison* includes in Local Flavors. She makes a yellow tomato soup w just a little bit of rice (cooked separately; it's not a thickening agent) that is flavored w a generous amount of roasted peppers. To accentuate their flavor and contribution to the soup, the peppers are not puréeed. Saffron and pimenton, too, just a little. I've followed the recipe faithfully and also used it simply as a source of inspiration and all variations have been good.

Later in the year, a great soup can be made w roasted peppers and winter squash; the sweetness tempers the harshness of the peppers as do gobs of caramelized onions. After you turn off the heat, taste. You might want to add a drop of sherry vinegar or lemon juice to round out flavors.

(*If you don't own her book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, I'd recommend investing in it. Use links to Amazon.com here at eGullet to purchase and a portion goes to eG.)