Dinner

Carl picked up some lovely fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market last week. Usually we’d just toss them on the grill, which is delicious, but I wanted to do something different with them. I’d picked up some tomatoes and peppers, and started thinking about the soup we used to get at a local restaurant before we went vegan. It was a really tasty red pepper and corn bisque that I’ve been meaning to attempt a vegan version of for years.

The fresh vegetables were the motivation I needed to create my own version of it. While that soup was amazing at the time, it was also loaded with cream and butter. I wanted to keep things light and really let the flavors of the fresh vegetables shine.

Roasted Tomato, Pepper, and Garlic Soup with Sauteed Fresh Corn

8 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 lbs cherry or Roma tomatoes (I used multi-variety packages of heirloom cherry tomatoes that I picked up from Trader Joe’s)
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and quartered
1 TBS olive oil, plus more to coat the vegetables
1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely diced
*corn cut from 4 ears of fresh corn (There really is no substitute for the taste of fresh, sweet, corn here; you can use 3 cups of frozen, but get a good quality, organic brand if you can)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I use the double-concentrated stuff in the tube,
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
10 large leaves fresh basil, chiffonade, plus extra for garnish
3/4 – 1 cup water or light vegetable broth
1 – 2 tablespoons agave nectar, depending on the acidity of your tomatoes
1 tsp salt
lots of freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400° while you prepare the vegetables. If you are using cherry tomatoes, you can leave them whole, otherwise cut the tomatoes in halves. Toss the garlic, tomatoes, and peppers into two 9X13 glass baking pans, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and toss to coat them well. Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are nicely caramelized. The peppers should be slightly charred, and the tomatoes should be shriveled, and release lots of juice.

Meanwhile, heat a large, deep pot over medium heat for a few minutes, then add 1 TBS of olive oil and the onion. Sauté the onion until it is softened and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Then, add the corn along with its milk, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring frequently for another 10 minutes. Add thyme, turn off heat and set aside until the roasted vegetables are done.

When the vegetables are done roasting, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Then, puree them until smooth in a blender or food processor in batches. Be very careful, use the pulse function, and lift the lid (while the blender is stopped!) every few seconds to allow steam to escape. Pour the puree into the corn mixture and return the pot to medium-high heat, add the tomato paste, 1 TBS agave nectar, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more agave nectar if the soup is too acidic, remove from heat, and stir in basil.

*Notes: Cut the corn off of the cob into a large bowl with a sharp, serrated knife. I usually set the cob on its end into the bowl, then saw the kernels off from top to bottom. You’ll want to go over the cobs a few times, scraping them well, and catching all of the “milk” that comes off of them in the bowl.