The FastDay Forum

Serves 4

Worth the effort.

4 red peppers, cored and deseeded (150)
500 grams tomatoes, halved (90)
Spray olive oil (10)
1 onion (44)
1 carrot (25)
600 ml (1 pint) vegetable stock (20)
Handful basil leaves, torn
Pepper

Put peppers skin side up and the tomatoes skin side down on baking sheet under grill and cook for 8-10 minutes until the skins of the peppers are blackened (can use baking tray in oven but may take longer). Cover peppers with damp kitchen paper, leave to cool, then remove skins and slice the flesh. Leave the tomatoes to cool and then remove the skins.

Spray pan with oil add onion and carrot and fry for 5 minutes. Add stock, roasted peppers and tomatoes and bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the carrot is tender.

Process, blend (hand held unit is easier). Return to pan if processed and heat through gently. Stir through basil leaves and pepper and serve.

Works out to be 85 calories per serve.

Can add a teaspoon of low fat sour cream, yoghurt or creme fraiche per serve if needed, but add calories accordingly.

Does it make much difference to flavour to roast the pepper/tomatoes? Would it not be better to keep skins of same as blitzed in a blender? Being lazy here!!

Thanks TiaoriMoari will cook this for Thursdays fast,

Hi, roasting makes a world of difference to the flavour. I wouldn't recommend leaving the burnt skin on, as it may give the soup a bitter / burnt flavour. The wet towel on top of them as they cool makes it quite easy to peel/scrape off the burnt skin.

Thank you TiareMaori, am going to make this this week, also your tomato and thyme fish. I love your recipes, thanks for sharing

Love, love, love the flavour of roasted peppers - always stick in an aubergine too, slit to let steam escape, so it doesn't explode (as once happened to me!) until charred and smoky flavour for baba ganoush. I will add a dollop of my kefir to this soup, as I tend to use the strained kefir in place of sour cream.

Sounds wonderfully tasty!