Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

**Roasted Red Pepper & Fresh Tomato Soup**

This recipe is great hot or cold

Ingredients :

1.5 lbs of Red Peppers

l lb Fresh Tomatoes

1 large Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 tablespoon Tomato paste
1 1/2 quarts Chicken stock
1 teaspoon Fresh Basil
1 pinch of thyme and 1 pinch of oregano
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
Salt and Pepper T.T. = ( to taste )

**You may also add some sugar and heavy cream if you prefer it to be a little sweeter in taste.**

Cut the tomatoes in half, and do the same with the peppers, cut the onion into quarters, and remove skin from garlic cloves and brush all with olive oil. Place all in a large roasting pan with metal grates for good air circulation and bake with the flesh side down. Roast in a 200-250 degree oven for about 20- 30 minutes, if you are using larger vegetables it may take longer than the suggested time. Cook them until the tomato and pepper skins start to wilt and brown. If the garlic and onion start to get too brown remove them and let the tomato and pepper continue to roast. Remove from roasting pan, and put the vegetables into a bowl, cover with saran wrap and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes. The steam from the roasted veggies will make them easier to peel.

You will want to peel and puree your roasted veggie mix at this time. An immersion blender works the best but a stand alone blender will work also. Puree the mixture well to end up with a better finished product.

In a soup pot you will add chicken stock, herbs, your pureed vegetables, and cook at a simmer for about 30-45 minutes to allow all of the flavors to bloom. Before you are ready to serve add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir it to a smooth consistency. If you have fresh herbs you may add them for garnish when you place the soup into your serving bowls. You may serve hot or cold. If you wish to serve cold chill for several hours in the fridge or create an ice bath to set your hot soup into to chill it down. You will need to adjust the seasonings reguardless of how you serve them right before you serve yourself and or guest.

You may also add heavy cream and a pinch of sugar for extra flavor if you don't mind the calories.

This is a great recipe and it is fairly easy to make. If you do not feel like roasting your vegetables you can use canned. It will not be as delicious, but it will work in a pinch/time crunch.

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Mushroop Soup by Chef Shell P

Wipe mushrooms with a clean towel to remove all dirt and then slice the mushrooms. You will need to peel and slice on a bias or use a small dice 1/4" x 1/4" for the carrots, celery, onion, thyme sprig and 1-2 bay leaves. The small dice will look better if you decide not to puree your soup. You will then add all ingredients to 2 quarts of chicken stock and cook on medium heat until done/tender. **If you would like to make a mushroom stock, use a 1 gallon of water and cook 6 c. of mushrooms with 1 T. of minced garlic, 1 sprig of fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves and cook until reduced by half. Then you will add the sliced vegetables/ingredients after you have made the stock. And you will cook them on medium heat until they are done/tender which will be approx. 30 minutes. Remove the thyme and bay leaf before you puree or serve your soup, it was added just for the flavor component it adds during cooking - it will not taste well. Then adjust seasonings salt and pepper to taste. I personally like to puree the soup and run through a strainer; however it taste well both ways.

Ingredients you will need:

2 Quarts chicken stock or mushroom stock
2 cups of fresh mushrooms sliced
2-3 large carrots - small dice
2-3 stalks celery - small dice
1 med-large onion - small dice
1 fresh thyme sprig
1-2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

http://chefshellp.com