Fire Charred Tomato Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour vegetable broth over the onion mixture; add tomatoes, 1 tablespoon cilantro, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the saucepan, and simmer until the tomatoes are really soft, about 15 minutes.
• Pour tomato mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid in place; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth and return to the saucepan.
• Put pureed soup over medium heat and cook until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir remaining tablespoon cilantro and the heavy cream into the soup.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat a large cast iron skillet and add the canola oil. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, add the tomatoes in a single layer. Season with salt, to taste, and add the sugar. You want to blister the skin slightly, drawing out water from the tomatoes, to intensify their flavor. Add the vermouth. Continue cooking on low heat.
• In a soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add the garlic, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the oregano and stir to blend. Allow to cook, over low heat, until the shallots and garlic become tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and the water. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the tomato flesh starts to lose shape, 12 to 15 minutes. At this point, the soup should be mushy and blender-ready. If there are still some hard pieces, add a little more water and cook for a few additional minutes. Taste for seasoning.
• Put about half of the tomato soup in the blender and puree until smooth. Next, puree the roasted Roma tomatoes in the blender until smooth, adding the remaining olive oil through the top in a slow, steady stream. Taste for seasoning. Add both back to the remaining chunky soup. Taste for seasoning.
• On a flat surface, slice bread into 4 by 1/2-inch thick slices. Tear each piece into a freeform shape that sits nicely across the top of your soup bowls (the nice torn edges will get super crispy). Set on a sheet tray and toast in oven for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly golden and crispy.
• Ladle the soup into crocks or small oven-proof bowls. Top with 1 piece of toasted bread per bowl. Finish with some shredded mozzarella and broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Steps:

• 1. If using a gas grill: Place the wood chips (if using) in the smoker box. Preheat the grill, gas or charcoal, to high.2. Cut the tomatoes crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices, cutting out the stem ends. Thread the onion wedges onto a long metal skewer. Brush the tomato slices, onion wedges, and peppers generously with oil, using half of it, and season with salt and pepper.3. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss the wood chips (if using) on the coals. For both methods: Oil the grill grate. Arrange the tomatoes, onion skewer, and peppers on the hot grate and grill, turning the onion skewer and peppers with tongs and the tomato slices with a spatula, until the vegetables are nicely charred all over. The bell peppers will take the longest, 15 to 20 minutes, the tomatoes the shortest, about 8 minutes in all. As they are done, transfer to a platter to cool.4. Place the ancho chile on the grate and toast quickly, about 20 seconds per side, just until it becomes smoky and brittle. Take care not to let it burn.5. Using a paring knife, scrape the charred skin off the onions and peppers (don't worry about removing every last bit). Cut the onions into thin crosswise slices: stem and seed the peppers.6. Crumble the toasted chile into a small saucepan with 1 cup of the stock. Heat over medium heat until warm, then remove from the heat and let soak until soft, about 5 minutes.7. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, peppers, remaining 6 cups stock, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, the chile and its soaking liquid, and salt and pepper. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes. If it seems too thick, add a little more stock.8. Transfer the soup to a blender and process to a smooth purée, then return it to the saucepan, pressing it through a strainer if necessary to remove any remaining pieces of charred skin. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. If a sharper soup is desired, add a little more vinegar a sweeter soup, a little more honey.9. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of yogurt and sprinkle with the remaining herbs.Serves 8 as a first course