Spicy Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Roasted Peppers

Today I really wanted a burger. But with my wisdom teeth coming in (bunch of bastards) I just couldn't be arsed to leave the house. Or make burgers. And I was thinking about the chili-lime burgers I made a few weeks ago, but all I could really eat with my sore face was soup… why not put the two together? So spicy soup it was! It’s one of my favourites adapted from Isa Chandra’s Ceci-Roasted Red Pepper Soup in Appetite For Reduction.

Isa’s books were some of the first I got when I initially went vegan, so around my 16th birthday. Vegan with a Vengeance taught be a lot of what I know about cooking. The rest I learned from my Dad, who had me cutting mushrooms and peppers from a very young age.  

Serves 2

• 2 bell peppers - any colour. Or about...150g frozen peppers?
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp oil

• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp tarragon
• ½ tsp coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (it's worth putting them all together in a little bowl/mug/something you can sprinkle from.
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 200g chickpeas (half a tin)
• 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 250ml vegetable stock
• jalapeños to serve (optional)

For the Roasted Peppers & Cherry Tomatoes

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200℃/180℃ fan oven/gas mark 5 or six. I've not had a gas oven in… seven years? Sorry!
2. Cut the stalk out from the bell peppers, remove any seeds stuck inside, and place upside down on a lined baking tray with the cherry tomatoes; you can half/quarter them or leave them whole.
3. Drizzle them with a little of the oil and sprinkle with some of your herb mix. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes and let them do their thing.
4. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, the pepper should be cold enough to handle and chop by the time to need to add them.

The Rest of the Soup

1. Heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the rest of your spice mix to the pan, and a little extra oil or a splash of stock. Reduce heat and stir occasionally.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. If you fancy trying your hand at egg-free meringues or other fluffy treats then reserve the liquid (aquafaba). Add the chickpeas and half of the stock, cover and simmer. Let it bubble away for 15-20 minutes, stirring now and then.
3. Is should be ready for the tinned tomatoes, add them along with the lime juice and the rest of the stock, then the roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes. Keep on the heat with the lid on the pan for another ten minutes.
4. Remove from heat and, before serving, mash with a potato masher. Yes, I used to use a hand blender for mashing up the chickpeas but when mine finally gave up last month (yes, I asked for a new one for my birthday…) I found it was much less faff on and to be honest easier by using a tattie masher. And there you go! Ladle it out and serve with the jalapeños, and nice crusty bread.

Variations

• Spicy Tomato and Lentil soup: substitute the chickpeas for 100g/½ cup of red or green lentils, simmer in the stock for half an hour, adding it gradually, and an extra ten minutes after adding the tomatoes.
• One pot stew: add 100g of rice and 150g frozen peas (brown or white, up to you) along with an extra 150ml of stock for a thicker, more filling stew.
• Also nice with a handful of black olives chopped into it instead of jalapeños