Pepper-And-Tomato Soup
Submitted by loralee
Ancho chile, red pepper, and tomato soup: a silky Mexican-inspired pureed soup with rehydrated anchos, cabbage, and tomato, finished with creme fraiche and cilantro. Vegetarian and naturally gluten-free.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThis is tomato soup with a Mexican pantry’s vocabulary. Dried ancho chiles rehydrate in water and puree into a deep, smoky paste that gets stirred into a base of sauteed red onion, sweet red peppers, and chopped cabbage. Tomatoes and water join the pot, everything simmers, then the whole thing blends into a velvety, brick-red soup.
Anchos are dried poblanos, mildly spicy with a dried-fruit sweetness behind the heat. Using them whole (rather than a shortcut chile powder) is what gives this soup its layered depth. If you can’t find anchos, 1 to 2 teaspoons of chile powder works, but whole dried chiles are worth the extra 20 minutes of rehydrating.
Clove and ground coriander are the unexpected warm spices that lift the tomato and pull everything toward Mexico without shouting about it.
Finish each bowl with a swirl of creme fraiche (sour cream or Mexican crema works too) and a pinch of chopped cilantro. The contrast of cool dairy and warm soup is the whole point.
Chef Tips
- Toast the ancho chiles briefly in a dry pan before rehydrating for extra smoke.
- Remove stems, seeds, and veins from anchos; the veins carry bitterness.
- Peel tomatoes if using fresh; the skins won’t break down fully in the blender.
- Fish out the bay leaves before blending. Blended bay leaf is bitter and gritty.
Variations
- Swap chipotle in adobo for half the anchos for more smoke and heat.
- Stir in cooked black beans or corn after pureeing for a chunkier, meal-sized soup.
- Top with crumbled cotija or queso fresco instead of creme fraiche.
Ingredients
Directions
REMOVE STEMS, SEEDS AND VEINS from ancho chiles, if using.
Tear flesh into few large pieces, cover with 1 cup water in small saucepan and bring to boil.
Simmer 20 minutes, then purée in blender. Heat oil in pan and add onions, bay leaves, cloves, coriander, parsley and garlic.
Cook over medium heat several minutes until onions have begun to soften, then add salt, peppers and cabbage.
Stir to combine and coat vegetables with oil.
Add ½ cup water or stock, cover pan and cook over low heat 10 minutes.
When vegetables have wilted, stir in ¼ cup puréed chiles or 1 to 2 teaspoons chile powder.
Add tomatoes, their juice and remaining water or stock.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer very slowly 30 minutes.
When finished cooking, remove bay leaves and purée soup until completely blended.
Return it to pan and season with salt, if needed. Add more chile if desired.
Serve soup with swirl of creme fraiche and sprinkling of chopped cilantro.
Comments
