Ingredients:
- 2 sweet red peppers, roasted
- 1 jalapeño pepper, roasted
- 1 poblano pepper, roasted
- 1 half sweet onion, roasted
- 2 medium carrots, roasted
- ~ 3 pounds roasted tomatoes, roughly chopped and seeded (reserve the juice)
- ¼ cup watermelon puree
- 4 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
- 1 head roasted garlic
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- 1tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp. adobo sauce
- ¼ cup basil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- Dab crème fraiche, lime wedge and good olive oil for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly drizzle the carrots, garlic, onion and tomatoes with olive oil and roast until the carrots are tender and tomatoes start to split; about twenty minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Place the peppers under the broiler and char. Remove and place in a sealed plastic bag for several minutes. Remove the charred skin and remove the seeds; roughly chop the peppers. Combine all the ingredients including reserved tomato juice, in a food processor, working in batches if necessary. Chill the soup for several hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. To serve, ladle into a bowl, drizzle a little good quality olive oil, top with a dab of crème fraiche and garnish. Finish with a wedge of lime.
Gianluca Paris is the Executive Chef and owner of Luca’s Mediterranean Café, a fine dining restaurant, The Market at Luca’s, offering light bistro style fare and gourmet take out and Luca's Culinary Journey Catering in Keene, New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife Lindy and his two children. He is the recipient of many accolades, including “Excellence in Dining” and “Best Service/Wait staff” every year since 2002 from Market Surveys of America, along with “Best Mediterranean Restaurant,” “Best Fine Dining Restaurant,” “Best Caterer in New Hampshire,” and, for four years, “Best Restaurant in the Monadnock Region” from New Hampshire Magazine.