I don’t know about you, but I consider the soup season to be officially open!! It’s so cold and gloomy outside that I am beginning to struggle to find enough light for my photography. Today, I started considering dusting a studio lamp off. The trouble is, I really don’t like shooting with an artificial light, so I am persevering with greyish cloudy sky for now. Luckily for me, this roasted red pepper and garlic soup is assertive enough to be able to just pull it off, I think.
This week I have decided to take control of my low mood and so far so good. As Duncan gave me a lovely waterproof running jacket for my birthday (which has single handedly robbed me of an excuse for not running when it’s raining a little) and as running always seems to put me in a good mood, I am attempting to lace up my trainers pretty much every day this week and see how things go. Not only is this a ploy to flood my sometimes tortured brain with a dose of daily endorphins, it will also offer a bit of a redemption, as with Thanksgiving and Xmas getting dangerously close, I’ve been baking an awful lot lately and totally failing at even a semblance of restraint when ‘taste testing’ (it’s a tough job and someone’s gotta do it). To get back into running the main thing I have to combat is my inherent lazy streak, which often wins the internal dialogue and I also need to take care not to get injured. I already do 15 minutes of yoga daily and I run in the soft ground of the local woods, so I am hoping to keep the shin splints at bay. This simple roasted red pepper and garlic soup is a perfect thing to tuck into when you get back home from running in the cold. It packs a punch of flavour and it’s surprisingly quick and easy to make (if you don’t count garlic roasting waiting time). If you don’t have time to roast your garlic, simply dice up 3 cloves and sauté them in the pot after your onions are nice and translucent. I served my soup with a mound of harissa roasted chickpeas, but crusty toasted sourdough will also make a perfect companion.
1 head of garlic 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 small red onion ¾ tsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp harissa paste 1 x 400 g / 14 oz can quality chopped tomatoes 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or a pinch of dried ½ tsp salt, adjust to taste pepper, to taste 180 g / 6 oz fire-roasted peppers in a jar (I used 2 large) 2 tsp date syrup, sugar or 1-2 Medjool dates, adjust to taste 240 ml / 1 cup veggie stock or a veggie stock cube vegan cream, shop-bought or homemade, to garnish (optional) fresh parsley, to garnish
