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Recipe Detail Page
Roasted Pepper Soup with Pesto Cream
Autumn 2014
This silken, flavourful soup is thickened only with vegetables. You can use red, orange or yellow sweet peppers. The Parsnip Crisps are easy to make so I suggest making heaps of them, they are delightful both as the soup garnish or as a nibble with drinks.
Serves 4
3 large sweet peppers
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
¾ cup (175 mL) coarsely diced sweet onion
1 large garlic clove, cut in half lengthwise
1¾ cups (425 mL) chicken broth
¼ to ½ tsp (1 to 2 mL) salt
⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) basil pesto
Handful of Parsnip Crisps (recipe follows)
1 Roast peppers under a preheated broiler for 10 minutes (or over an open gas flame), turning frequently until black spots appear on all sides. Cool, peel and seed; set peppers and any juice aside.
2 Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbly. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until softened. Add roasted peppers, any juice and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until peppers are very soft.
3 Whirl soup using a blender or food processor until puréed. Add ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt and pepper; whirl again. If soup seems too thick add additional chicken broth or water, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time. Taste and add remaining salt, if needed. (Soup can be covered and promptly refrigerated for up to 3 days. Then reheat until hot.)
4 Stir cream with pesto. Reheat soup until hot; serve drizzled with pesto cream and garnished with Parsnip Crisps.
Serves 4
PARSNIP CRISPS
Choose 1 to 2 long fat parsnips (use more if heaps for nibbling are desired); peel. Then, using a vegetable peeler and supporting the parsnip against the counter or cutting board, form very thin, long and wide-as-possible, strips of parsnip. Arrange on a tea towel in a thin layer. Generously salt using a salt shaker. Roll up towel and let parsnips sit for at least 30 minutes or up to a couple of hours. Heat 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of peanut or other oil in a deep cast iron pan or shallow Dutch oven over medium-high to high heat until 350°F (180°C) is reached on a thermometer. Working in batches, carefully add a handful of parsnip strips into oil; stir with
a spider or slotted spoon. Remove parsnips as they become golden brown about edges onto a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Store airtight. If parsnips lose their crispness, refresh by baking in a 200°F (100°C) oven for 15 minutes or until crisp.
