Roasted Pepper Soup with Shrimp
This recipe yields approximately 4 servings, depending on the size of the bowls. It is a soup that can be made well in advance and tastes even better when the flavors have settled the next day.
Ingredients:
- 4 large red peppers (about 500g)
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 medium tomatoes (about 200g)
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can tomato puree (70g)
- 100 ml cream (or a vegetable cream for a lighter version)
- 200 g peeled shrimps or 12 scampis (can be fresh or frozen)
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon juice (optional, for extra freshness)
Preparation:
- Roasting peppers:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the seeds and stems.
- Place the peppers skin side up on a baking sheet. You can sprinkle them with a little olive oil if you like.
- Roast them in the oven until the skin is charred black, about 20-25 minutes.
- Peeling peppers:
- Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately place them in a sealed plastic bag or bowl with a lid. This will help to remove the skins easily.
- Let them cool until you can handle them, then remove the skins, but reserve the roasted flesh.
- Preparing the soup:
- Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft.
- Add the roasted peppers and tomatoes in pieces to the pan. Fry them briefly.
- Add the tomato puree and mix well. Let this cook for a minute or two to develop the flavour.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, bring the soup to the boil, then let it simmer gently for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
- Puree and finish:
- Remove the pan from the heat and puree the soup with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth.
- Add the cream to the soup and stir well. Reheat the soup, but do not let it boil again.
- Taste and season with salt, pepper, and possibly a pinch of sugar if the soup is too sour.
- Add shrimp:
- Heat a little olive oil in a separate pan and quickly fry the shrimps/scampi until they are pink.
- Add the shrimp/scampi to the soup or serve them separately in each bowl for a nice presentation.
- Serve:
- Divide the soup among bowls, place the shrimp on top, and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Add a little lemon juice for extra freshness if you like.