Roasted chili tomato soup

After recovering from turkey leftovers, a bowl of spicy tomato soup will hit the spot.

I’m in love with soup season, which has most definitely arrived in full force. Today we’re talking about tomato soup, but with a kick! I had a ton of chilies leftover from Mom’s garden, so we decided to roast them and add them to my classic tomato soup recipe. Spicy! And delicious!

This could go a variety of ways, depending on the kind of peppers you use: We used mostly Jimmy Nardello, some Bulgarian carrot peppers, and jalapeños.

Roasted chili tomato soup
Yields: 2 quarts

8 chilies, assorted (careful if they're spicy! choose some mild ones!)
2 30-ounce cans tomato puree
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery (chopped) or 1/2 teaspoon of celery seed
2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
3 cups vegetable stock
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Line a baking pan with foil, and arrange the chilies in a single layer. Broil 5-inches under the broiler until charred (5 minutes), then flip and allow the other side to char. Remove from the oven, and let cool until you can handle them.

2. Slice off the stems of the chilies, and combine them with some of the tomato puree in a blender. Blend until smooth.
In a heavy pot over medium heat, add the blended chilies, tomatoes, onion, celery, parsley, bay leaf, and veggie stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaf, and blend the soup until smooth. Put through a fine mesh sieve or food mill.4. Add the salt and pepper to taste, along with more vegetable stock if the consistency is too thick.

5. Serve immediately, topped with fresh Parmesan cheese, or store in an airtight container.

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