I first flipped through The Love & Lemons Cookbook when I was staying at an Airbnb in Amsterdam last July. (Shh … don’t tell the homeowners.) The recipes were right up my alley. So you can imagine how happy I was when my parents gifted me a copy two weeks ago.
While browsing the book a second time, a few dishes immediately caught my eye, including the eggplant and mushroom “meatballs” on Page 141 and the roasted bell pepper and carrot soup on Page 203.
As you can probably guess, I ended up preparing the latter – with some tweaks. Namely, I subbed in heavy cream for cannellini beans and, just for fun, homemade baby cheddar and green onion biscuits for garlic croutons. The finished product was delicious.
Roasted bell pepper and carrot soup is silky smooth and slightly tart, thanks to the addition of balsamic vinegar. And the pint-sized savory pastries are perfect for dunking. Of course, if you don’t have the patience to bake, swap them out for another topping.
Recipe adapted from The Love & Lemons Cookbook.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 roasted red pepper, diced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- baby cheddar and green onion biscuits (for serving, optional, see notes)
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add fennel, carrots, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Add balsamic vinegar, roasted red pepper and vegetable broth; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and purée. Stir in heavy cream and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with baby cheddar and green onion biscuits, if using.
