Total time: 1.5 hours Serves: 6
Recipe adapted from: Martha Rose Shulman
Ingredients:
- 2 red bell peppers, roasted
- (It’s ok to use green or yellow- it just might change the color of your soup)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½ cup diced carrot
- ½ cup diced celery
- Salt to taste
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 ½ cups chopped tomatoes with their juices
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- Pinch of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1 ½ quarts vegetable stock or water
- ¼ cup rice, preferably a medium-grain rice like arborio
- Freshly ground pepper
FOR GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
- Garlic croutons (toast thin slices of bread, rub with a cut clove of garlic, and cut into squares)
- Freshly grated Parmesan
- Slivered fresh basil leaves
Directions:
- Roast peppers: Cut peppers in half, remove the seeds, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven at 450F for about 20–40 minutes, (depending on size), turning them occasionally to ensure they are evenly charred. Allow to steam and cool in a covered bowl, then peel off skins, and dice. Set aside.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes, and add the carrot and celery and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomatoes with their liquid, the tomato paste, basil sprigs, cinnamon, sugar if using, and salt to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, about 15 minutes.
- Add the diced roasted peppers, the stock or water, rice, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Season with freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the basil sprigs.
- Using a hand blender, purée the soup, or use a blender and purée in batches, being careful to pull a dish towel down over the top and not to cover tightly with the blender lid, then return to the pot and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve topped with croutons, Parmesan cheese, and/or slivered basil.