I like this Roasted Tomato and Red Bell Pepper Soup because the red bell pepper helps cut the acidity in the tomato and adds to the flavour of the soup.
{Optional} Line a baking tray with foil. I just lightly oiled the baking tray with 1 tsp Olive Oil.
Set the oven in the roasting/grilling mode and pre-heat it to 150°C.
Coat 6 whole tomatoes and 2 red bell peppers with a little olive oil.
Cut each tomato in quarters.
Cut each red bell pepper into quarters, lengthwise
Peel and cut 2 medium-sized onions into large chunks.
Peel 6 to 8 large garlic cloves.
Roasting the Vegetables
In a small bowl, mix together the cut onion pieces, peeled garlic cloves and 1 tsp Olive oil. Set aside.
Place the cut tomatoes and red bell peppers on the lined/greased baking tray with the cut side up. The skin should be touching the tray.
Do not place the onions and garlic on the tray at this moment.
Place the tray in the pre-heated oven and roast the vegetables for about 15 minutes. The tomatoes will just start shrivelling a bit.
Scatter the oil-tossed onion chunks and garlic cloves among the tomato and bell pepper pieces.
Continue to roast the vegetables till the tomatoes shrivel, and the bell pepper, onion and garlic start to char a bit.
Remove from the oven and let the roasted vegetables cool a bit.
Making the Roasted Tomato and Red Bell Pepper Soup
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender.
Add 1 cup of water and salt to taste.
Grind the mix to a thick and smooth paste.
Add 2 cups of water and blend well.
Transfer the Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Soup to a heavy-bottomed vessel.
Add pepper and more salt, if required.
Bring the soup to a boil.
Take off the heat and divide into 4 soup bowls.
Serve hot with some bread on the side.
Notes
Do not add the onions and garlic to the roasting pan along with the tomatoes in the beginning. If you do, they will char and burn as they do not need to much time to roast.
There is a load of flavour in the oil and juices left behind on the pan. Add them to the soup as they lend a wonderful flavour to the soup.
I sometimes mop up the juices with small pieces of toasted bread and use these as croutons in the soup.
This soup serves 4 if you are having it with bread and as a start to a meal. If you have this soup by itself as a meal, then the portions here will probably serve 2 people.