Christmas is officially over. Yesterday was the 12th day. So today there was the ritual putting away of things. Wrapping ornaments in tissue, packing up the tree, and once again heading to the mall to check out the sales and starting the stash of gifts for next year. Call me crazy, but I love this time of year. There's something so poetic about what's left: on the trees, on the shelves, on the floor, and in the kitchen. This is when cooking is kind of fun and a little bit of a challenge.
Fr'instance, what do you do when you have a couple of pounds of cut red and green peppers left from a party, a vegetarian sister swinging by the pick up some stuff, and it's lunch time?
You make soup. Of course.
Toss the peppers with olive oil, roast at 450F for 15 minutes or until slightly blackened (or not- your taste). Chop a small yellow onion and sautee over medium heat with 1/2 tbsp of butter until translucent.
Combine peppers and onion in a heavy bottom saucepan, over medium heat. Add 1 entire 14.5 oz can of tomatoes*, juice and all, and heat. Add 2 tbsp whole milk, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir.
Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender or regular blender. Serves two hungry people or makes 3 mugs with a side of grilled cheese sammy.
And as for what's left? Well, call me even crazier, but as much as I love food photos of beautifully prepared dishes, there's something really appealing to me (as someone who's just cooked a meal) about the sight of a bowl scraped clean.
*I like Hunt's Diced No Salt Added for quick recipes like this. Also, if you like your soup thinner, add a half can to a can of water.