Roasted Sweet Pepper & Musika Soup

Ingredients

•4-5 red peppers (about 907 grams/2 pounds), quartered and deseeded
•907 grams (2 pounds) very ripe red tomatoes, quartered
•2 medium red onions, roughly chopped
•5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
•2 peppadews, roughly chopped
•Large handful of Genovese or other basil leaves
•30 ml (2 tablespoons) balsamic vinegar
•89 ml (6 tablespoons) olive oil
•About 59 ml (¼ cup) musika/tamarind purée, or to taste (it will depend on its strength)
•473 ml (2 cups) chicken/vegetable stock
•237 ml (1 cup) Greek yogurt, or to taste, plus 5 ml (1 teaspoon) per plate, for garnish
•Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
•Edible flowers of your choice, for garnish

Musika, or tamarind, is available in Asian or Middle Eastern grocery stores, and online. We make our own puree, the recipe of which you can find below. Remember, musika/tamarind fruit pulp is potent, so be light of hand when using it.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 204°C (400°F).
Place all the vegetables and basil in a large roasting tray. Mix together the vinegar and oil and pour it over the vegetables, making sure everything is well-coated.
Roast the vegetables in the oven, turning them over from time to time, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool when done, about 15 minutes.
Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Push through a sieve to remove any seeds or skin that remain, ensuring the end result is silky smooth.
Transfer to a heavy-based saucepan, add the musika puree, and then thin the soup with the stock to a desired consistency. Place over a medium heat, stirring regularly to ensure all the ingredients are well-combined. Remove from the heat when the soup is hot but not boiling. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, and season with salt and freshly-ground pepper.
Serve warm or cold. Garnish with a teaspoon of Greek yogurt in the center of the soup, along with edible flowers arranged to your preference. If serving cold, garnish with an edible flower frozen into an ice cube, placed atop the Greek yogurt in the center of the plate.

About the author

Annabel Hughes Aston is an award-winning chef, organic gardener, forager and writer, who lives with her husband on a farm in the Zambezi Valley, upstream from Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia. Annabel is an advocate for hyperlocal, plant-forward, sustainable dining. She has spent the past twelve years, since moving to Livingstone, developing an organic garden and experimenting with, and fusing, wild and indigenous ingredients with the produce she grows. She uses locally-produced dairy, meat and fish, while the garden, the market, the village and the wilderness make up the mainstay of her pantry: fresh organic garden produce, indigenous heirloom grains and seeds, bush fruits, tree nuts, wild mushrooms, legumes, roots, leaves and more, which she crafts into an ever-changing menu according to the seasons.

Courtesy photo

Annabel Hughes Aston

Annabel Hughes Aston is an award-winning chef, organic gardener, forager and writer, who lives with her husband on a farm in the Zambezi Valley, upstream from Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia.

Roasted Sweet Pepper & Musika Soup with Greek Yogurt & Edible Flowers

Ingredients

Preparation

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