Carrot and Red Pepper Soup with Harissa
For this vegetable-based soup, we roast carrots, bell peppers and onion to bring out their natural sweetness, then whirl everything in a Vitamix with stock and harissa, a chile paste popular in North African cooking that lends bold flavor. A swirl of harissa-sesame oil finishes the soup with a spicy, nutty kick.
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
- 4 red bell peppers, seeded and halved lengthwise
- 1 red onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. coriander
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) vegetable stock, plus more as needed
- 2 Tbs. harissa paste
For the harissa-sesame oil:
- 3 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. harissa paste
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
- Kosher salt
Thin baguette slices for serving
Directions
To make the soup, preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a large bowl, combine the carrots, bell peppers, red onion and garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the paprika and coriander, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet, spreading them in a single layer. Roast until the carrots are tender and the peppers are blistered, about 40 minutes.
Let the vegetables cool slightly, then transfer to a blender. Add the stock and harissa and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. For a thinner soup, add up to 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) more stock until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer the soup to a large pot and reheat over medium heat.
To make the harissa-sesame oil, in a small bowl, stir together the sesame oil, olive oil, harissa, sesame seeds and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl in the harissa oil. Float 1 or 2 baguette slices on top of each bowl and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen