Winterizing and Roasted Vegetable Soup

This weekend we surprised my husband with getting a jump on winterizing.  All the patio furniture was put away, screens tucked were away for the winter, planters were emptied and store for the winter, hoses tucked away and the flower gardens got a rake and a trim.  Luckily we had a beautiful day to be working outside.

Aren't you impressed with all the help my teenagers are giving me?  I have a secret.  I always feed my workers.  Food speaks to anyone.  When the handy man needs to stop by to fix something for us, I try to make sure I have a pot of coffee going and a few cookies waiting for him.  Our plumber loves pumpkin anything.  A little treat goes a long way.  And when the kids know food is waiting for them after a big job, they are pretty motivated to get the work down quickly so they can get to their reward.

I purposefully planned a hot lunch of flavorful soup to warm the kids up while they are outside getting things ready for winter.  I used an emptied planter as a table since the patio furniture has already been put away.

I decided to make one of the kids' favorite soups.  Roasted vegetable soup is velvety and smooth.  It is comfort food packed with vegetable nutrition and flavor.  The board of ingredients is a bit earthy and simple to find in the grocery store.




Start by putting the diced onions, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs and a sprig of rosemary in a saucepan.




Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the vegetables and add the quart of chicken stock to the saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the stock to a boil over high heat. When the stock comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and let the vegetables simmer for about half an hour.




Next, chop the Roma tomatoes into 8 pieces.




Put the tomatoes into a bowl and season them with a pinch of salt.




Cut the red peppers into medium sized chunks.  




Add them to the bowl of tomatoes.




Chop the onion up and add it to the bowl as well.




Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, two whole garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and pepper.




Stir to coat the veggies with the oil and seasoning.




Pour the vegetables onto a cookie sheet with sides and scrape all the oil out of the bowl.




Roast the vegetables in a 450° F oven for one hour, stirring once half way through.  These look so amazing. 




Cook the vegetables in stock for about thirty minutes, or until they are tender. Turn the burner off and leave the pan on the burner with the cover on. You can remove the herb stems and discard them.



When the roasted veggies come out of the oven, scrap everything into the saucepan.




You can use a blender, a food processor or an immersion blender to blend the soup.




This soup can be embellished with so many things. A splash of balsamic vinegar, butter, cream, Parmesan or sharp Cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, fresh chives or basil, crackers, and the list goes on and on. The kids really like this soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.



But, they will take it just about any way they can get it.  Especially on a chilly day.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 Quart Chicken Stock
1 Cup Diced Onions
1 Cup Diced Carrots
3/4 Diced Celery
Sprig of Rosemary
Sprig of Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Whole Garlic Cloves
1 Large Yellow Onion Cut into Large Chunks
6 - 8 Roma Tomatoes Cut into Large Chunks
3 - 4 Red Peppers Cut into Large Chunks
Garnishes of Choice 

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2.  Add chicken stock, herbs, diced onions, celery and carrots to a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Bring the stock to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Cook uncovered until vegetables are tender.  Remove herb stems.  (If you prefer a thinner soup, simmer the vegetables with a cover on the saucepan.)

3.  Toss large chunks of onion, tomatoes, and peppers with garlic, salt and pepper with a big drizzle of olive oil. Spread vegetables out in a single layer on a cookie sheet with raised sides.  Roast vegetables in a 400° oven until vegetables are roasted and caramelized, roughly about an hour, stirring occasionally.

4.  Add the roasted vegetables to the chicken stock.  Use a blender, food processor or immersion blender to blend the soup.  (If you are using a blender or food processor, process the soup in batches.)

5.  Enjoy.  Makes 5 cups of soup.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe click here. 

The kids like their soup on the thicker side.  After I buzzed the soup, I simmered it for a while, stirring occasionally, until it was nice and thick.  I also added a few splashes of cream and garnished with chives from the herb garden.  

Some of the kids like caramel dip with their apples, the other two like their apples plain.  So I have two choices of apple slices. 

I think I had some satisfied customers. 

I am linking to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.