Chilled roasted tomato and capsicum is perfect for a light meal on a hot day. I often use nuts in soups as they give the soup a lovely creamy texture (without the cream), and they tend to make the soup a bit more filling. I also like to make my own chicken stock, either with chicken carcasses from the butcher, or with the leftover frozen bones of a BBQ chicken. It is really worth making your own stock when you have the time, and freezing it in batches.
The Spanish love to use vinegar in their soups – think of gazpacho, a chilled soup of blended raw vegetables. They also use almonds in their ‘ago blanco,’ an elegant chilled white soup made of almonds, bread and sherry vinegar. Garnish the soup with basil leaves, a few chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil if you like. This soup also makes an elegant ‘amuse bouche,’ served in little glasses, if you’re having friends over.
Here’s a recipe for gazpacho from a previous blog post, which requires absolutely no cooking! https://atamandastable.com.au/amandas-gazpacho/
Best wishes,
Amanda
PS: If you’d like to read more, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter for stories, recipes and tips for simple, nutritious meals.
Chilled Roasted Tomato and Capsicum Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes, washed and quartered lengthways
- 2 whole red capsicums, washed
- 1 red onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1 L chicken stock substitute with vegetable stock if you prefer
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar substitute with red wine vinegar
- sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
- basil leaves, olive oil and chilli flakes to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced) and line a baking tray with paper.
- Arrange the tomatoes cut side up on the tray, and the capsicums next to them. Drizzle 2 tbsp of the olive oil on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle with a little salt.
- Roast for about 1 hour until the tomatoes start to darken in colour. The skins of the capsicums will, too. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- When cool enough to handle, twist the tops of the capsicums and pull out the centre with the seeds and let any juice pour out. I don't usually peel the capsicums, but you can if you wish.
- Grind the almonds into almondmeal using a blender or a food processor.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a saucepan and saute the onions until soft, 5-10 minutes. Then add the ground almonds and stir in.
- Add the stock, cooked tomatoes and capsicums, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so, then blend the soup with a hand-held blender or in a food processor. Stir in the vinegar and season to taste.
- Refrigerate for about 2 hours until cold. Check for seasoning - you may wish to add a little more vinegar. Garnish with basil leaves, a few chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
Leave a Reply