Roasted red pepper soup

Today was the last day for the Midtown Farmers Market for the season. Glad they had a decent weather day; those vendors could certainly use a break after coping with their second year in a cramped temporary location, pandemic protocols and riot-destroyed buildings across the street. I'll miss our weekly market run, the fresh produce and our friendly vendors, but I know they're ready for a winter rest.

I am in some ways as well. We spent the afternoon getting a good start on garden cleanup. At some point you're ready for it to be over, even if the price is winter. At least most of the snow has melted.

I roasted a mound of peppers from the market a few weeks ago and put some to work in this soup. A nice reminder of the market I can pull out of the freezer this winter.

Roasted red pepper soup 

Adapted from Cooking Light, Aug. 2006

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups diced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
4 cups broth
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
5 black peppercorns
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives (or green onion tops)
 

Method
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add red peppers, broth, white wine vinegar and fennel seeds. Place peppercorns, thyme sprigs and bay leaf in a cheese cloth bag and add to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.   

Remove cheesecloth bag and stir in salt and pepper. Let soup cool slightly and puree in blender or food processor. Heat pureed soup through and serve garnished with chopped chives. 

Rating: I made this once without the fennel, and found it a little too sharp tasting, perhaps from all that vinegar. Once I added the fennel it became less one-note, and I liked it quite a bit better.