Ingredients:
5 or 6 red bell peppers OR 2 24 ounce jars of pre-roasted red peppers
1 chopped onion
5 sun dried tomatoes, jarred in water or oil and drained OR substitute with 2 T tomato paste from a can or a tube
4 peeled garlic cloves OR 1 T chopped garlic in a jar
1 ½ tsp lemon juice or to taste at the end
2 ½ - 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional) to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Optional toppings: 1-2 tbsp homemade pesto, 2 tsp dried basil, sour cream, plain yogurt or creme fraiche See iStock photo above.
Instructions:
- There are 3 ways to roast fresh washed peppers. a)The first, requires a gas range and can be time consuming.. Turn on one or more of the gas burners and place one or more peppers near the flame. With a tongs, turn the whole peppers until the outside skin is blackened and beginning to blister. Put the roasted peppers in a paper or plastic bag or in a bowl. Seal the bag or cover the bowl to let them steam. When cooled, peel each pepper. Cut them open, saving the juices. Remove the seeds by hand. Do not rinse them in water as much of the flavor will be lost. b) Cut and seed the peppers. Cut the pieces until flat. Lay them on a baking tray, being careful not to crowd them. Put the tray near the broiler. Broil for about 10 minutes, checking periodically until charred. Put them in a bag as described above and peel. c) The easiest, although longer way is to put a tray of chopped seeded peppers in a 400 degree oven and roast in the oven until slightly charred (around 40 minutes). Peeling is not necessary.
- Chop an onion and saute in a large pot with a little olive oil until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes longer. Add the roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes and vegetable stock.
- With an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the onions, garlic, peppers, sun dried tomatoes and stock until completely smooth or to the consistency you like.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a bit of lemon juice, pesto or sour cream to taste and crusty bread or seasoned croutons.
Note: This soup improves in the fridge overnight (without the garnishes) and can be frozen in serving sizes for a few months. It can also be served warm as an appetizer in small cups or shot glasses and garnished with a piece of lemon.
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Story:
Do you ever see bags of produce at a reduced price at the grocery store and wonder ”How would I use those?” Here is a great way to use red peppers in a flavorful soup. We happened to have some jars of dehydrated tomatoes and added stock and garlic from the freezer to improvise this savory soup and then used leftovers as a sauce for pasta.
Using up freezer items at this time of year also helps make room for the holiday turkey, if you are hosting. Food is part of most holiday celebrations. Doing so on a budget takes planning and a carefully stocked pantry and freezer. Consider what planning tips help you reduce waste, stay within your food budget and enjoy feasting with people before and during the holidays? What items do you buy pre-made and which do you like to make yourself as a tradition? How do you include family and friends in proving some of the feast?
Invitations:
Start planning your calendar and food purchases and prep early. Add a couple of special ingredients for baking, snacks, food gifts and entertaining each week to go easy on your budget.
Food items make great hostess gifts: Fair Trade coffee, tea or chocolate; local cheese; a favorite cookie, bread or snack item. A cookie exhange or a gathering to make food gifts could make the yule tide merry!
Advent Soup and Bread is a festive and inexpensive way to entertain. Invite guests to bring a favorite appetizer or something sweet to share. Chili, Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Beer Cheese Soup, Corn Chowder are all crowd-pleasers. Baking frozen bread dough is a fragrant, easy way to provide warm bread for dunking!
Fasting used to be part of Advent. It makes some sense to eat simply in preparation for the feasting of Christmas season traditions. Soup, sandwiches, salads save money and leave extra for gifts to your local food shelf or other favorite organization.
Kids enjoy dipping pretzels, making bird feeder pinecones, cookies and breads for friends and neighbors. Teacher gifts need not be expensive. Brainstorm with friends for ideas. Some gifts that serve can be found at Heifer International gift catalog and Equal Exchange.
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