[www.keralites.net] Roasted Tomato Soup with Chipotle

Roasted Tomato Soup with Chipotle
We used regular garden tomatoes for this recipe. If you use plum or Roma tomatoes, which are denser, you might need to add a little more stock. You can roast the tomatoes either cut side down or cut side up. We roast our cut side down because you can then easily lift the skins off of the tomatoes and peppers after they've charred a bit. Regarding the chipotle chiles. They pack a punch, so start with one puréed into the soup. If you still want more heat, add another.
INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds fresh plum or garden tomatoes, cored and sliced in half
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered lengthwise (root end to top)
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, left in the skins
• 1 red pepper, cored and sliced in half
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 to 2 chipotle chiles (canned in adobo), roughly chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• Sliced fresh basil or chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• Sour cream for garnish

METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom of a rimmed baking pan or baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes and red pepper cut side down on the sheet. Place the garlic cloves and onion on the baking sheet. Paint olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle salt over the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions, and bake in the oven 45 minutes, or until the skins of the tomatoes and peppers start to blacken.
2 Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Pick the tomato and red pepper skins off the tomatoes and peppers and discard. Peel the skins off the garlic and discard. Reserve the baking sheet. Put the roasted tomatoes, onions, peeled garlic, roasted peppers into a food processor or blender. Add any of the tomato liquid that may be left in the baking pan. Scrape up any browned bits on the pan (not blackened bits) and add those to the food processor bowl as well. Pulse until you have a rough purée, about 60 seconds.
3 Pour the purée into a medium pot. Add 2 cups of stock. Heat the soup to a simmer. Add salt to taste.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream that has been lightly thinned with water, and freshly sliced basil or chopped cilantro.
Yield: Serves 4-6.

Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com

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