A gorgeously coloured and deep-flavoured soup to make in the autumn when pumpkins, squashes, bell peppers, and tomatoes are at their very best and most seasonal. The cumin, rosemary, and paprika add a smoky flavour that seems to fit the mood of the season. This is delicious served with some chile cornbread or a quick bread loaf studded with intense nuggets of sun-dried tomato.
AUTUMNAL ROASTED SQUASH & TOMATO SOUP WITH CUMIN & ROSEMARY
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, thickly sliced
- 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, plus extra ground cumin to taste
- 1 cup ripe tomatoes, skinned and halved
- 1 prepared squash, cut into 1” pieces any variety
- 2 medium red bell peppers halved and seeded
- 1 small head of garlic, cloves separated but left unpeeled
- 2-3 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Leaves from 2 small rosemary sprigs, removed from the stalk and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- Freshly squeezed lime juice, to taste (optional)
- Pinch of crushed, roasted cumin seeds to serve
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Put the onion slices at one end and scatter over the crushed cumin. Arrange the tomatoes, cut-side-uppermost, over the onions. Put the squash and bell peppers at the other end of the baking sheet with the garlic. Drizzle the vinegar over the tomatoes, season everything with a little salt and some lack pepper and finally drizzle the remaining oil over everything. Roast, uncovered in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, stirring the squash once. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Pop the garlic cloves out of their skins into a large saucepan. Scrape all the roasted vegetables into the pan with the oil and add the rosemary and paprika. Stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes and then add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer gently for 5-6 minutes. Let cool a little then process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with more cumin, salt and/or lime juice as necessary.
Serve piping hot, drizzled with a little extra oil and with a sprinkling of crushed roasted cumin.