Fiery roasted tomato bisque
Even though the weather is trying to catch up to the calendar, I still think that we're knee deep in soup season. I love a good bowl of soup but sometimes they can turn out a little bit "one note", especially when they're puréed. But this one, with its roasted vegetables and fire roasted crushed tomatoes, is a very jazzed up version of a traditional tomato soup. This ain't no Campbell's soup, that's for sure.
This soup is guaranteed to warm you up - the fire roasted tomatoes and crushed red pepper really add a lot of heat. It honestly teetered on too much heat so if you're not a spicy food person, cut out the crushed red pepper entirely. Oh and I highly recommend serving this with a side of grilled cheese. Because really, is there anything better than the combo of grilled cheese and tomato soup?
Fiery roasted tomato bisque
Adapted from Food Network
Level: Easy
Time: About an hour and a half
Ingredients
Two 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained of their juices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 shallots, quartered
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dry fire roasted tomato
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons sherry
One 28-ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1-2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half & half
Garnishes: croutons, chopped chives, shredded cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, mix together the drained whole tomatoes, olive oil, brown sugar, carrots, celery, and shallots and toss around to coat. Season with salt and pepper and place all the vegetables on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast until caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until foaming. Add the crushed red pepper and dry fire roasted tomato and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes, then add in the sherry. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated - about 1-2 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables, fire roasted crushed tomatoes, and 1 cup chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the half & half, remove from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender until it reaches the texture you like. If the bisque is too thick, add more chicken stock to adjust the consistency. Taste and season one last time with salt and pepper. Garnish with croutons, chopped chives and shredded cheese.
Mangia!