Roasted Red Pepper, Corn, & Tomato Soup

I had a BOUNTY of red peppers this year in my CSA share. I found this recipe on an extensive search for a creative use for them… last year I made Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce (link below) more than once, and, although delicious, I wanted something new! 🙂 (One can only eat so many red peppers in salad too…)

I was completely floored by this delicious soup. The color was incredible too. What a wonderful surprise! The roasted vegetables – especially the corn- gave it a fabulous depth of flavor. It was chili-esque. In fact, it was the BEST vegetarian “faux” chili I have ever tasted- and the BEST use for my bounty of CSA red peppers! (not to mention late-summer corn!) We ate it with green salad and popovers– but it would also be wonderful with cornbread. This recipe was adapted from Knead to Cook.com.

I’m bringing it to this week’s party over at The Novice Gardener. Happy Fiesta Friday #36!!

• 4 ears of fresh corn
• 3 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 6 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 red bell peppers or red long peppers
• olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ricotta salata, for serving, optional
• cilantro, for serving, optional

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Roast red peppers on a baking sheet 5-7 minutes a side, until charred. Turn over and repeat to char the other side. Cover with foil to steam. When cool enough to touch, remove skin, seeds, and stems. Roughly chop.
3. On a cookie sheet drizzle a bit of olive oil. Remove the corn kernels from the cob; place on the cookie sheet. Add the tomatoes. Toss to coat with the olive oil, adding extra if necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
4. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, then add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and chopped red peppers and stir.
5. Add the stock and spices to the red pepper mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
6. Add the roasted corn and tomatoes. Reserve some corn for a garnish, if desired. With an immersion blender, or working in batches with a food processor, puree until smooth. Continue to cook simmer for an additional 20 minutes or longer over a low flame.
7. Serve garnished with reserved corn, a sprinkling of cheese, and/or cilantro, if desired.

One Year Ago:

• Gratin of Eggplant, Roasted Red Peppers, & Garlic
• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

I haven’t made “red pepper pasta” for several years. The last time I served it, we were having one of my husband’s new colleagues and her family for dinner. We didn’t ask them about their food preferences until after they arrived at our home…. (What were we thinking?) When asked, they said that they ate EVERYTHING except for red bell peppers. Everyone felt pretty terrible when I told them what I had prepared for dinner!

I have had long red peppers from my CSA share piling up in the refrigerator – I decided it was time to make “red pepper pasta” again. When searching for my old favorite recipe, I came across this one on Pioneer Woman.com. It sounded so delicious I tried it instead. I doubled the recipe to use one pound of pasta, added basil, and substituted half & half for heavy cream. The sauce was silky and flavorful with beautiful color. GREAT!

• 7 Long Red Peppers, or 6 Red Bell Peppers
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• 2 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• coarse salt
• 1 cup Half & Half or Heavy Cream
• Flat Leaf Parsley, Finely Minced
• Fresh Basil, Finely Minced, optional
• Fresh Parmesan, Shaved Or Grated
• 1 Pound Pasta: Orecchiette, Penne, Fusilli, Rotini (I used whole wheat rotini)

1. Roast red peppers, and then place in a glass bowl covered with saran wrap to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers, then remove the stems and seeds. Set aside.
2. Lightly toast pine nuts in a skillet. Set aside.
3. Puree peppers with pine nuts. Set aside.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. Meanwhile, in a skillet or pot over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add diced onions and garlic and cook until soft. Pour in pepper puree and stir together. Add plenty of salt.
6. Pour in half & half (or cream) and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Add cooked pasta, and then stir together.
7. Place pasta into a bowl, top with chopped parsley, basil, and plenty of shaved Parmesan.

One Year Ago:

• Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Broccoli Salad with Hazelnut Romesco Sauce

My husband and I fell in love with romesco sauce in Barcelona. We ate it several times with grilled ramps. I have been meaning to make it for years but it has just never happened! My husband spotted this recipe in the New York Times and I was excited to finally make it. It was very timely as well because we had just received long red peppers and Roma tomatoes in our CSA share AND we had just brought home fabulous Long Island broccoli from the farm stand.

The sauce is DELICIOUS!! The recipe makes enough sauce for this dish with plenty of leftovers. According to the recipe, it can keep in the fridge for at least a week. We are excited to eat the extra sauce over potatoes, green beans, or grilled tuna. It could also be served with shrimp or lobster. This recipe was adapted from the New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. GREAT!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 2 medium red bell peppers, halved and cored (or long red peppers)
• 1 plum tomato, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup toasted, peeled hazelnuts, more for garnish
• 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs or panko
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, more as needed
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or 1 teaspoon honey, more as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• 2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets

1. Toast the hazelnuts in a 425 degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Peel.
2. Heat the broiler. Arrange an oven rack in the position closest to flame. Place peppers (cut side down), tomato halves (cut-side up) and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until peppers and garlic are slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn garlic (but do not turn peppers or tomato); broil 1 to 2 minutes longer until garlic is well browned but not burned. Transfer garlic to a large bowl. Continue broiling peppers and tomatoes until both are well charred, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer tomato and peppers to the bowl with the garlic. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand until vegetables are cool enough to handle but still warm, then peel peppers and tomatoes.
3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse hazelnuts until coarsely ground. Add peppers, tomato, garlic, breadcrumbs, oil, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, paprika and salt. Purée until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Scrape romesco into a bowl.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Boil broccoli until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to ice water; drain.
5. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with enough romesco to coat vegetables well. (Reserve any remaining romesco for dipping or for another use.) Garnish with hazelnuts, if desired, and serve warm or at room temperature.