Roasted Tomato-Pepper-Dill Soup

If you are like us, we love tomato soup with a toasty grilled cheese sandwich but canned soups are loaded with preservatives and tons of sodium. So, what could be better after fighting through a summer squall on the open ocean than a bowl of homemade tomato soup? This is one of my favorite soup recipes and is a great make ahead and freeze meal.

Ingredients

• 6 Ripe Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Medium Red Pepper
• 1 Medium Yellow Pepper
• 1 White or Yellow Onion, Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil for Soup (You will need more olive oil to roast the tomatoes and peppers. You need enough to thoroughly coat all tomatoes and both peppers.)
• 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 2 Leaves of Basil Crunched Up
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped, Fresh Dill
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt (For Roasting Vegetables)
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Can Evaporated Milk
• 1 Tablespoon White Pepper
• Salt & Black Pepper To Taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Thoroughly coat tomatoes and peppers with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Place on a cookie sheet or other baking pan and put in preheated oven. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables appear soft. Remove from oven and gently place vegetables in a paper bag. (We don’t keep paper bags on the boat rather we have rolls of food grade brown paper. I make bags using this paper and some twine.) The reason for placing the roasted vegetables in the bag is to get them to sweat. This makes it easy to remove the skins.

Let vegetables sweat for ten minutes. Remove from bag and peel skins from them. Place in bowl and set aside.

In large pot sauté olive oil and onions until onions are soft but not clear. Add diced garlic and continue to cook for another three minutes or until onions are clear. Remove from heat and add roasted vegetables. Using a mallet, crush vegetables and blend until smooth with some small chunks. Add dill and basil. Mix thoroughly.

Place pot back on medium heat. Add chicken broth and evaporated milk. Heat until soup is to desired consistency. If it becomes too thick you can add water. Add white pepper, salt and black pepper to taste.

Pair this with a grilled cheese sandwich and you have a great meal that warms the body from the inside out!

Bon Appétit!