So the season of soup has quietly shifted toward lighter summer styles. I could keep going with playful alliteration, but today my brain (and thesaurus) aren’t cooperating.
Alliteration n. the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
If culinary alliteration existed — combining similarly sounding ingredients — this soup would be a good example: red peppers, red onion, red lentils and one of my favourite spices, smoked paprika. Together they create a wholesome, balanced soup, finished with parsley oil for a bright flavour contrast and a fresh visual lift.
The flavour foundation here is charred, roasted red peppers. They are so good straight off the grill that it’s tempting to eat them before they ever make it into the pot. If you can resist, their gentle sweetness and smokiness blend beautifully into the soup, so take care not to overwhelm them with other ingredients. Red onion provides warmth and depth at the start of cooking, while red lentils add body and hold the colour and flavour together.
This recipe is a great excuse to fire up the BBQ: you can roast the peppers ahead of time. If you’re grilling over a weekend, char a bunch of peppers and use them for this soup the next day. Like most soups, it scales well and freezes nicely — I made a triple batch that provided lunches for the week and filled the freezer.
BBQ charred pepper, onion and lentil soup
By Gavin Wren
Serves 4 to 5
Uses 1 BBQ and 1 pot
Ingredients
3 red peppers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large carrot, chopped into chunks
1/2 teaspoon harissa paste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 litre vegetable stock (homemade or instant)
For the parsley oil:
25g parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
1. Prepare: Light your BBQ. While it heats, chop the onion and carrot and crush the garlic. Measure spices into a small dish and have the vegetable stock ready.
2. Make parsley oil: In a small food processor, combine parsley and olive oil and blend to a rough green paste, scraping down the sides as needed. Set aside.
3. Char the peppers: Place whole peppers on the hot BBQ, turning occasionally until evenly charred. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to steam — this makes the skins easier to remove.
4. Cook aromatics: In a large pan over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the cumin, fennel seeds, smoked paprika and harissa paste and cook for about 30 seconds to release the aromas. Add the chopped onion, carrot and crushed garlic and fry for about 5 minutes until softened, reducing the heat if anything begins to brown.
5. Simmer with lentils: Add the red lentils and vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender.
6. Add peppers: Peel, deseed and roughly chop the roasted peppers, then stir them into the pot and cook for a few more minutes to combine flavours.
7. Blend: Remove from the heat and use a stick blender to purée the soup until smooth and silky.
8. Serve: Ladle into bowls and finish with spoonfuls of parsley oil for freshness and colour.