Recipes › Oregano › Slow-Roasted Red Pepper and Oregano Soup
Slow-Roasted Red Pepper and Oregano Soup
Red peppers and oregano are natural partners — the sweetness of the roasted peppers is brought into sharp, aromatic focus by a serious quantity of fresh herb stirred through at the end. This is a soup that tastes far more complex than the ingredients list suggests. It is good hot in early autumn and equally good cold when the weather hasn't turned yet.
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Ingredients
- 25 fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stems; stems reserved
- 6 red peppers, halved and deseeded
- 400 g ripe tomatoes, halvedor use one 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 2 onion, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 800 ml vegetable stock, hot
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegaror use red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Arrange the red pepper halves cut-side down on a large roasting tray along with the tomato halves, chopped onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with half the salt. Tuck the oregano stems among the vegetables.About 5 min
- Roast for 40–45 minutes until the pepper skins are blistered and charred in places and the tomatoes have collapsed and caramelised at the edges. The garlic cloves should be completely soft.About 45 min
- Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Peel the skins from the peppers — they should slip off easily. Squeeze the garlic flesh out of the skins. Discard the oregano stems and all the skins.About 5 min
- Transfer the roasted vegetables and any tray juices into a large saucepan. Add the hot vegetable stock, smoked paprika, and sherry vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.About 5 min
- Remove from the heat. Add three-quarters of the fresh oregano leaves to the pan, then blend the soup until completely smooth using a stick blender or in batches in a standing blender. Take care with hot liquid.About 3 min
- Return to the heat, taste, and adjust seasoning with the remaining salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and finish with the remaining fresh oregano leaves and a small drizzle of olive oil.About 2 min
Tips
- Do not skip charring the peppers — those blackened edges are where most of the depth comes from. A pale roast gives you a sweet but flat soup.
- Adding the oregano off the heat before blending preserves its fresh, grassy top notes alongside the smokiness of the roasted vegetables.
- This soup improves significantly the next day once the flavours have settled — make a double batch.
Ring the changes
- Add one 400g tin of butter beans to the soup before blending for a creamier texture and extra protein — it makes it much more substantial as a meal.
- Stir through 2 tablespoons of harissa with the stock for a North African direction that works very well.
Keeping it
Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the hob, adding a splash of water if it has thickened too much.
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More from the same crop
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