Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

In addition to having some tomatoes on hand from my backyard garden, I was kindly presented with a bag of local peppers the other day when I went to bottle a batch of red wine at Danny's Wine and Beer Supplies. Not wanting to let such delicious produce go to waste, I found a recipe for an easy and very tasty Red Pepper and Tomato Soup in James McNair's Soups. As usual, I've modified the recipe somewhat to suit my spicy tastes. If you don't have vegetable stock on hand, increase the amount of salt and add a few teaspoons of celery seed.

I've submitted this recipe to Andrea's Recipes, who will be hosting a Grow Your Own event featuring recipes using homegrown foods.

Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

1/4 cup of olive oil
2 cups of chopped red onion
4 cups of chopped red pepper
small handful of chili peppers
1 large clove of garlic
2 cups of seeded tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried marjoram
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 bay leaves, crushed
4 cups of vegetable stock or water
a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, chopped peppers and garlic. Stir to coat with the oil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and pepper begins to soften and change color - about 20 minutes.

Next add the tomato, stock or water, lemon juice, herbs and bay leaves, cumin, coriander, cayenne, ginger and salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and puree in a blender or use an electric hand blender. The soup can be served hot or cold. If serving hot, garnish with a bit of sliced pepper and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.