Chilled Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mastiha-Feta
Here's a gorgeous and simple soup to make on a warm day no matter where you are. Drizzle in some delicious extra-virgin Greek olive oil, which you can find, together with a lovingly curated array of Greek ingredients on my online store here.
Ingredients
- 15 red peppers roasted, peeled, cored, and seeded
- 2 chilis roasted, peeled, and seeded
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion finely chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stockbroth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. fresh strained lemon juice
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- For the Feta Cream
- 3 Tbsp. crumbled Greek feta
- 1 Tbsp. Mastiha-scented olive oil you can buy at the Mastihashop
- ½ tsp. Mastiha powder
- 1 tsp. fresh strained lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1. Puree the peppers and chiles in a food processor until smooth.
- 2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute, to soften. Add the peppers, oregano, and thyme, and stir. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir. Add the cream, stir to combine well, and simmer another 5 minutes, or until smooth. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature and chill for at least three or up to eight hours. You can serve the soup at this point or chill it and serve cold.
- To make the feta cream: Place the feta Mastiha olive oil, Mastiha powder, lemon juice, mint, and pepper to taste in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Serve the chilled soup , either hot or cold, with a little of the feta cream spooned into each bowl. You can also put the feta cream in a pastry bag and decoratively pipe it into each bowl.
Notes
Adapted from from my book, MastihaCuisine
