roasted red pepper and tomato soup with pepper jack grilled cheese sandwiches.

an experiment to get The Boy to eat tomato soup! i'll be honest - this soup recipe is labor intensive. but there are a couple of things you can do to make it easier. 1. take your time roasting the peppers. if you don't roast them completely, it'll be a serious pain in the ass to get the skins off. 2. buy a food processor. (i just moved out of a house where both my roommates had one, and i haven't gotten around to buying one yet. eesh.)

roasted red pepper and tomato soup

5 red bell peppers
6 roma tomatoes
1 medium sweet onion
3 cloves garlic
4 c. chicken stock
2 c. milk or cream
2 tbsp basil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
olive oil

1. rub oil on bell peppers and tomatoes. with the shelf on the middle rack and the broiler on high, put the peppers and tomatoes in the oven. let them roast until blackened and turn to get each side. let the peppers and tomatoes cool for 15 or 20 minutes, until you can handle them comfortably. using a paring knife, gently run the blade against the pepper skin to peel it off. (if you've roasted them long enough, the skin will come off easily.) then peel the tomatoes. finely chop both the peppers and tomatoes. (or, if you have a food processor, roughly chop everything - it'll all be thrown into the food processor later.)
2. put 1 tbsp oil in large pot on medium heat and add onions and garlic. cook until translucent and then add peppers and tomatoes. let everything cook until the juices have cooked off. (this is where most people would put everything into the food processor.)
3. add chicken broth, milk, basil, red pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar. let simmer for 15-20 minutes. add salt and pepper to taste.

i made pepper jack grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup. perfect for a fall day.