CARROT AND ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER SOUP: A DELICIOUS LUNCH

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Carrot and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup served with Cheese and Chive Bread and sliced fresh strawberries

adapted from Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters

Serves 8

This soup is what Paul (Bertolli) and Alice (Waters) call a double soup. Look at the photograph. What you see is a cup of pureed carrot soup with a dollop of pureed roasted red bell pepper soup in the middle. The two soups are made separately. On their own, each one is quite nice, hearty, and healthy. Paired together as they are – a blob of red in a sea of orange, this soup becomes something extraordinary.

For one thing, it looks as if the cook has gone to lots of trouble. Fortunately, that is not the case. Actually, both soups are extremely simple affairs: the ingredients can be thrown into their prospective saucepans in minutes. They simmer while you answer emails; put clothes in the dryer; let the dogs in and outside; and other such things. Then they are pureed, seasoned, and served. No special talent is needed to dollop a little red pepper soup into the center of the carrot soup. You could do it while you talk on the phone. Voila: your soup is beautiful. The best part though is the flavor. With hardly any other ingredients save for an onion and some butter, the essence of each vegetable shines through. Each has a distinct flavor, yet they compliment each other well.

We served this soup on an early Spring weekend with Dorie Greenspan’s cheese and chive bread and some sliced strawberries. It would also be delicious served with a mixed green salad, a chunk of nice cheese, and a slice of bread.

FOR THE CARROT SOUP:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 cups water

6 large carrots (about 1.4 lbs), cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1. COMBINE AND SIMMER: In a 6-quart soup pot, melt butter over MEDIUM HIGH heat. Add 1 cup of the water, carrots, and onion. Bring it to a simmer and then cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. BOIL THEN PUREE: Add remaining 5 cups water and bring to a boil over HIGH heat. Using a hand-held blender, or in batches in a regular blender, puree soup. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside until red pepper soup is ready.

FOR THE ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER SOUP:

2-3 whole red bell peppers (14 oz)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

a few drops of Sherry vinegar

1. ROAST THE BELL PEPPERS OVER AN OPEN FLAME OR BROIL: To broil, first stem and then halve and seed the pepper. Place on a baking sheet skin-side up. Broil 4-inches from the heating element until skin becomes blackened and charred. Remove from oven and place in a plastic or paper bag to steam until skin slips off easily, about 15-20 minutes. Once skinned, there may still be burn marks. This is fine.

Note: In the original recipe, the peppers are not roasted. If you want to skip this step, go ahead. You’ll only need to cook the peppers a bit longer and then strain it at the end. I prefer the deeper flavor of a roasted pepper.

2. DICE AND SIMMER: Dice the peppers. In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over MEDIUM HIGH heat. Add water and peppers and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until most of the water cooks down and the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes for roasted peppers; 20 for raw.

3. PUREE AND SEASON: Again, using the hand-held blender or a regular blender, puree the soup. Add salt, pepper, and vinegar and stir to combine.

Note: The key to the double soup is having both be the same consistency. If one is thicker than the other, just add a bit of water to the thicker of the two.

TO SERVE: Pour 6 ounces of the carrot soup into each bowl. Using a spoon, drop 2 Tbsp roasted red pepper soup into the center. Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Peace and love from my kitchen to yours,

Waverly