Chilled Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Cucumber Herb Salad

Chilled Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Cucumber Herb Salad

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 hot chile pepper, such as Thai or jalepeno, halved and seeded
Handful cilantro
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 bulb fennel, coarsely chopped
3 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt

Garnish with chopped cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, red and yellow pepper strips, fresh basil, mint and cilantro leaves, and extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the olive oil, garlic, chile pepper and cilantro in an ovenproof pot and cook over medium heat until the garlic is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and fennel and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Then add the bell peppers, tomatoes and salt. Stir well and transfer the pot to the oven.

Bake, uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 30 to 40 minutes until the contents have collapsed into their own liquid and appear scorched on top.

Remove the soup from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes.

Ladle the soup in batches, into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pass the puree through a food mill or sieve. Discard the solids and refrigerate the soup for at least 3 hours.


Serves 4