Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup - Comfort in a mug

I am not a soup fan. But there are days when the hearty cheer of soups are welcome. The opportunity for getting lost in its warm comfort presented itself sometime back. And we downed this yummy mug of gentle soothing with much relish. 

The soup is a blend of simple and natural flavors.The roasted deliciousness of the veggies peps the whole affair.

What is not to like about the soup ? Red Peppers, tomatoes & garlic blend with onion to create a delish melange of yummy flavours.

The charred sweetness of the roasted red peppers and the pep the garlic adds to the soup makes it for one hearty digging. The recipe is adapted from Nigella's website.

Ingredients:-

• Red Bell Pepper - 3 (medium sized) {halved,deseeded & cut in to chunky pieces}
• Tomato - 3 (medium) {quartered}
• Garlic - 6 to 8 large pods {with skin on}
• Onion - 1 large {cut in to chunky pieces}
• Olive Oil - a generous drizzle
• Salt - to taste
• Black Pepper - 
• Vegetable Stock - 2 to 3 cups

Here's How :-

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a baking tray with silver foil and set aside. 

In a big bowl tip in the tomatoes,red peppers, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Mix it well with your hands. Let it stay for 15 minutes for the flavours to blend well.

Arrange the same on the baking tray and bake f or about 30-4o minutes until the veggies are sweet and just slighly charred.

Pick out the garlic from the roasted vegetables and squeeze the juicy garlic flesh out into the stock, discarding the skins. To it add the rest of the roasted vegetables and puree using a hand blender/mixer to a slightly chunky consistency.

Bring the stock to a boil and add the pureed contents and let it simmer for a while till
it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve Hot with toasted bread or sandwich.Garnish with black pepper powder

CHEF NOTES/Useful Pointers !

1.	You can puree the roasted veggies to a creamy,smoothy texture instead of leaving it chunky.
2.	Instead of Vegetable Stock, you can add water also.
3.	Garnish the soup with black pepper powder/smoked paprika powder or add cream to taste.
4.	The soup stays good if refrigerated for 2-3 days. Make sure to bring it to room temperature and give it a boil before tucking in.

This is off to Avant Garde Cookies Week2:April