Basque Roasted Pepper Soup

piment d’Espelette

Basque Roasted Pepper Soup

This sweet, smoky pepper soup was adapted from “The Basque Kitchen” by Gerald Hirigoyen. His restaurant in San Francisco is a rustic joy. The inspiration came from our Backroads.com, Pays Basque, Rustic Inns hiking trip to Spain and France in 2005. In my considered opinion this beautiful hike through the provinces of Pays Basque in the Pyrenees Mountains is one of the great culinary experiences in the world.

The Basques would use their famous piment d’Espelette (peppers) for this soup - the entire town of Espelette turns red with garlands of these smoky red peppers when hung out to dry each summer. I have found that pimento peppers, New Mexico peppers or any pungent small red pepper works just as well. The Basques grind their dried peppers into a sweet powder that you can order on line. In this recipe I used Aleppo ground chili pepper. The wonderful result is a soup that can be served either hot or cold.

4      pimento peppers (medium size), roasted, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1      jalapeño pepper, roasted, seeded, skinned and chopped

2      banana peppers, roasted, peeled, deseeded and chopped

½     Vidalia onion, chopped

1      carrot, chopped

2      stalks of celery, chopped

2      cloves of garlic, minced

½     cup of olive oil

2      medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1      tablespoon crushed Aleppo chili pepper (or any crushed red pepper)

1      28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

1      32-ounce container of organic chicken stock

1      tablespoon Kosher salt

        ground black pepper to taste

        assorted fresh herbs, chopped finely

        sour cream or Greek yogurt, garnish

        chives, chopped for garnish

Preparation:   Roast the peppers in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes or until just charred – reserve to cool. In a stockpot sauté in olive oil the onions, carrots, celery and garlic until soft. Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and potatoes and bring to a simmer. When the peppers are cool, remove their skins and deseed – chop and add to the soup. Add the pepper flakes, salt, ground black pepper and chopped herbs. Bring to a quick boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. When the soup has cooled use a blender to puree the soup in batches.

Presentation:  If serving the soup hot, return the soup to the burner and heat for serving. Garnish with a tablespoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt and chopped chives. If serving cold put the soup in the refrigerator for at least three hours and present the same way.