Roasted Nightshade Soups + More SoupArt

Veggies from the Nightshade family are some of SoupAddict’s very, very favorites: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes. So when she saw this soup recipe in an old issue of Gourmet magazine, she knew she had to make it (and, rename it from the original: “Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup with Serrano Cream.” That’s just too much typing, people. Plus, what sounds more fun to make, a 70-character mouthful, or something with mysterious “Nightshade” in the title? SoupAddict knew you’d agree.)
The lovely part of this recipe is that it’s actually two soups, one yellow, one red, which allows SoupAddict to indulge in her side interest, SoupArt. Which is really nothing more than a highfalutin sounding excuse to play with her food.

















Roasted Nightshade Soups
|
||||
Adapted from Gourmet, March 1993, “Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup with Serrano Cream” | ||||
For the pepper soup: | ||||
3 | tablespoons | finely chopped shallot | ||
1/2 | teaspoon | dried thyme, crumbled | ||
1 | tablespoon | unsalted butter | ||
6 | yellow bell peppers, cut into quarters and roasted (procedure follows) (about 6 cups) | |||
1 1/2 | cups | low-salt chicken broth plus additional to thin the soup | ||
1/4 | cup | heavy cream | ||
fresh lemon juice to taste | ||||
For the tomato soup: | ||||
3 | cans | 28oz each, fire-roasted tomatoes (chopped or diced) | ||
2 | large garlic cloves, minced | |||
3 | tablespoons | finely chopped shallot | ||
1/2 | teaspoon | dried oregano, crumbled | ||
1 | tablespoon | unsalted butter | ||
1 | cup | low-salt chicken broth plus additional to thin the soup | ||
1/4 | cup | heavy cream | ||
fresh lemon juice to taste |
To roast peppers: Broil the peppers on a broiler-proof pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from the heat, until the skins are blistered and charred. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and let them steam, covered, until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the pepper skin, starting at the blossom end of each quarter.
Make the pepper soup: In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallot, thyme, and salt and pepper, stirring until the shallot is soft. Add the roasted bell peppers and broth, and simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the peppers are very soft. Purée the soup in a blender in batches until it is very smooth, and transfer to a clean pan. Whisk in the cream, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, add additional broth to reach the desired consistency. The soup may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.
Make the tomato soup: In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallot, the oregano, and salt and pepper, stirring, until the shallot is soft. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and broth, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes. Purée the soup in a blender in batches until it is very smooth, and transfer to a clean pan. Whisk in the cream, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, add additional broth to reach the desired consistency. The soup may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.
Comments are closed.
boo-hoo, I’m jealous. Can’t find canned roasted tomatoes here 😦 Do you mean I’ll have to wait until summer and *real* tomatoes come along, and then roast them myself? Sheesh.
(could you explain the reason why you call these veggies *nightshade*? it’s a very nice name and surely much nicer than the other they usually go by as a collective, but I can’t figure out where it comes from. Thanks in advance 🙂 )
Hi Marcella,
Perhaps in Italy you have access to lovely seasonal tomatoes (in which case it’s my turn to be jealous!), but I can tell you, in the US, “lovely” is hard to find in February (pink and hard as rock). Yuck. 😉
“Nightshade” is the common term for the plant family Solanaceae. Not really sure where “Nightshade” came from. The Solanaceae family includes potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, petunias, tobacco … and the deadly poison, belladonna. Oooo, mysterious!
oh don’t imagine the land of tomatoes. At this time of year they are all watery and tasteless, although looking nice and ripe. Don’t let yourself be fooled. I wouldn’t come nowhere near a fresh tomato until June.
I was familiar with the Solanaceae name and thought “Nightshade” was an invention of yours 😉 Well, even if it’s not yours, I like it all the same. BTW I once had a boyfriend who was intolerant to the whole family. Imagine a life (and a kitchen) without tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes. I can’t say I would starve, but almost. Poor boy.