Serves a Crowd

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Corn and Cilantro

by:
September  1, 2010
3.5
6 Ratings
Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Corn and Cilantro
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

This is a variation on a red pepper / tomato sauce that I've tossed with pasta for years. Our corn is so good right now that I couldn't resist, and thyme and cilantro from the garden rounded out the dish. My first thought was to grate a little ricotta salata over the top, but the feta is a nice stand-in. - Oui, Chef —Oui, Chef

Test Kitchen Notes

If you took all of the ingredients in this soup, threw them into a pot and cooked them together, you'd end up with a pretty delicious result. But Oui, Chef takes the soup to a new flavor planet by enhancing each component. He roasts the tomatoes, peppers, shallots and garlic until they're smoky and charred. He toasts the corn in a pan with thyme and wraps it with butter. And he brightens a cilantro oil with splashes of sherry vinegar. By the time you're done and have all the parts assembled beautifully in a bowl, you have a dinner party star and a soup that you'll want to savor the next day for lunch. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 5 large red peppers, washed, cut in half and de-seeded?
  • 4 large heirloom tomatoes, washed, cored and quartered?
  • 8 large garlic cloves, still in their skins?
  • 3 large shallots, peeled and halved
  • 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon pimenton (smoked paprika)
  • 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, well washed and spun dry
  • 1 splash sherry vinegar
  • 2 small ears sweet corn, cut from the cob
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, finely minced
  • 1/2 shallot, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • EVOO
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425?
  2. Toss the pepper halves, tomato quarters, halved shallots and garlic cloves in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss with your hands to coat. Place them all in a single layer, skin side up in a large roasting pan.
  3. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until everything has started to take on a nice charred appearance. Check the shallots and garlic at this point, if they are nice and soft, remove from the pan and reserve, if not, you can keep them in the pan for the final 15 minutes of cooking.
  4. At the one hour mark, remove the pan, peel the charred skin from the tomatoes and peppers, and squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins. Place the skinned tomatoes, peppers, garlic and shallots in a medium pot with the pimenton and chicken stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
  5. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender and place in a clean pan, check for seasoning and keep warm.
  6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, toss in the cilantro and blanch for about 30 seconds. Pull from the pot with a slotted spoon and shock in ice water. When cooled, pour through a strainer to catch the cilantro, and pressing with the palm of your hand, wring as much of the water free as you can. Finely chop the herb, then toss into a bowl with enough EVOO to maker a spoonable cilantro oil, add a splash of sherry vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Reserve.
  7. Preheat a skillet over a medium flame, and when hot add a splash of olive oil and the minced shallot. Cook until the shallot starts to take on some color, then add the corn kernels, some salt and pepper, and the fresh thyme. Cook for 2 minutes, toss in the butter, and when it melts, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
  8. To serve, place a small pile of the corn in the center of a warmed soup bowl, pour the soup around, drizzle with some cilantro oil, and finally, sprinkle with a little crumbled feta.
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Oui, Chef
I am a father of five, who recently completed a two year professional hiatus during which I indulged my long held passion for cooking by moving to France to study the culinary arts and immerse myself in all things French. I earned “Le Grande Diplome” from Le Cordon Bleu, studied also at The Ritz Escoffier and Lenotre cooking schools, and completed the course offerings of the Bordeaux L’Ecole du Vin. About six months ago started "Oui, Chef", which is a food blog that exists as an extension of my efforts to teach my children a few things about cooking, and how our food choices over time effect not only our own health, but that of our local food communities and our planet at large. By sharing some of our cooking experiences through the blog, I hope to inspire other families to start spending more time together in the kitchen, cooking healthy meals as a family, passing on established familial food traditions, and perhaps starting some new ones.

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71 Reviews

Leslie
Leslie September 28, 2019
This is a fabulous soup! I did not think it was too work intensive--the 1-hour veggie roasting time is hands-off and the veggie peeling is fairly easy. Fall is the time to harvest or buy fresh peppers, corn, cilantro & garlic. I definitely recommend this soup--it's a keeper!
 
Emily D.
Emily D. April 1, 2017
Oh my, so delicious!Once I realized that the recipe was not going to feed our dinner crowd I added 2 jars of fire-roasted peppers drained and 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, minus their oil. I would use more pimenton in the soup and also added some to the corn and shallot mixture. The corn relish might be pureed and swirled into the soup, the texture might be better. Just used chopped cilantro, the oil was too fussy. Feta is definitely a must. Did I say that this was delicious??!!
 
Transcendancing
Transcendancing October 8, 2015
We made this for dinner last night and it was one of those nights where everything seemed to be harder than it needed to be. And yet, this great soup was such a great reward for all the effort! I added extra paprika, a hint of cumin, some sumac and some sherry vinegar direct to the soup to lift it a little. Corn and coriander (cilantro) oil came together beautifully, although next time I might blend the coriander oil sauce to get a better emulsion. The textures and flavours all came together beautifully in the end and we'll definitely make this again!
 
robin L.
robin L. September 30, 2015
This was really delicious. A bit time consuming, and I wish one batch would have gone beyond our dinner for 4! But, I'd make it again for sure.
 
robin L.
robin L. September 28, 2015
I love the 20-plus photos here. Makes me really, really wish I had a dear friend to make this with. What a lovely way to spend a good part of one's day...(how long DID this take to make you two, Amanda and Merrill?)! I just moved to CA, I know no one; food52 recipes (with rewarding results) are my go-to happy place. I'm printing this one out...and I'm gonna go for this this week...
 
lapadia
lapadia September 28, 2015
Robin, here is a video link making this recipe, check it out :)
http://food52.com/recipes/6564-roasted-red-pepper-soup-with-corn-and-cilantro#comments
 
lapadia
lapadia September 28, 2015
OOPS, sorry here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1zxUDC93WY
hope it takes you there :)
 
robin L.
robin L. September 29, 2015
Thanks, lapadia! Got the rest of my ingredients today and just watched the video...
 
Andrea M.
Andrea M. December 1, 2014
This is the most wonderful soup I have had in a long time. Rich, flavoursome and healthy! It was definitely worth the effort. A true celebration of the capsicum season!
 
Heather
Heather September 17, 2014
So fabulous. I kept thinking I'd like it to have cream while I was making it (probably because many roasted red bell pepper soups I have made in the past did). So glad I held back....the purity of the veggies meets the creamy tang of feta BETTER than adding cream by far....then the crunch of perfect, out of the garden corn....and ahhhh. My husband had two bowls. I will be making it again while corn is ripening (in Maine; late season). I didn't really like the way my cilantro oil turned out and the soup was so stupendous without, I don't think I'll try it again next time. Thank you for such an enjoyable recipe. So fun to put so many veggies together to such a delicious purpose.
 
AlainaMK
AlainaMK May 15, 2014
This soup is absolutely fantastic! I made it last night and am eating it again for lunch, and boy is it good. The feta, corn and cilantro oil really bring it to a whole other level. The flavor is so unexpectedly delicious. Thank you, thank you!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. May 19, 2014
So glad you like it....thanks for letting me know!
 
QueenOfGreen
QueenOfGreen January 18, 2014
This was my lunch today - thank you, Oui, Chef!
 
simplyrenee
simplyrenee August 11, 2013
wonderful flavor.....thank you! usually soup take some time to meld and taste "finished." this was instantly intense and tasty!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. August 12, 2013
Thanks for reminding me of this dish, I need to make it again soon!
 
Green R.
Green R. July 17, 2012
Thank you for the lovely soup recipe. I have made it several times for informal dinners with friends. Tonight I am making a double batch, and instead of the cilantro oil I will be trying a fresh basil oil instead--my garden is lush with large and beautiful basil plants--I hope it will be just as delicious!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. July 17, 2012
So glad you like it, thanks for letting me know. Now that corn is back in season, I'll be making it again soon.
 
Trekcustom
Trekcustom June 28, 2012
I'm headed to the produce stand today!!!!!!! Not only does this sound and look incredible but it is loaded with vitamins and potassium .... for us diabetics that's awesome, thank you
 
borntobeworn
borntobeworn February 4, 2012
The grocery had 10 red peppers for $10 so I made a double batch of this today! Love this recipe -- it really is the best soup ever!
 
The M.
The M. December 2, 2011
This is a great recipe but very time intensive. I ended up cutting corners at the end with guests arriving and still unshowered. Still very good!
 
Lindsay H.
Lindsay H. September 20, 2011
Delicious! I was skeptical about the corn, but it adds a wonderful sweetness and crunch to the soup! Now I'm just wondering.....how'd you make your pasta sauce?
 
zyncooks
zyncooks August 31, 2011
This was so good. The corn was spectacular. I skipped some steps in preparing the cilantro oil and simply simmered a bunch of cilantro in about 1/2 cup olive oil and then let it set for a few hours. It was great. There was plenty for our four and about two servings leftover that I am right now enjoying. Cheers!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 6, 2011
Awesome, glad it worked for you! - S
 
heidik
heidik July 29, 2011
Absolutely delicious. Time consuming but worth it. Every element is crucial from the cilantro oil down to the shaved corn. However 6 portions? I think not. Maybe 3 medium sized or 4 very small portions at best.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 6, 2011
Hmmm....glad you like it, and I'll be sure to re-check the yield the next time I make it. Thanks for the note.
 
TaraT
TaraT July 23, 2011
It's roasting hot here in the midwest, but the beautiful corn and tomatoes at the market this morning have me convinced it's worth it to turn the oven on to make this soup! Love it!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 6, 2011
Now that its cooling here in the Northeast, and tomatoes and corn are still abundant, I'm making more of this myself.
 
eatatvino
eatatvino July 17, 2011
This was a big hit at home when I made it last week. Roasting the vegetables certainly brings a different dimension to this recipe :-)
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 6, 2011
Glad you liked it, thanks for letting me know.
 
cstordy
cstordy June 14, 2011
Brilliant recipe. I am inclined to think it would also be good served chilled. Oui?
 
cstordy
cstordy June 16, 2011
I did serve it chilled to rave reviews. Try it less the garnish in a glass with Vodka over rocks with a twist, that works also :)) seriously!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. June 16, 2011
Oohhh...I like the way you think my friend, especially the rocks with a twist version....nice! - S