Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with Roasted Chickpeas

Have you guys been to my Facebook page recently? I started posting notes over there about random events and things going on. A couple days ago, I wrote about the Muir Glen tomato tasting and cooking class I attended. They gave everyone in attendance a 2011 Muir Glen Organic Reserve Gift Basket to try their tomatoes at home.

Since the weather has been all over the place, I decided to make some soup the other day when it was downright chilly out. I’m not really a tomato soup fan. Growing up, my younger sister LOVED tomato soup. My mom would heat up a can of the condensed stuff and she would dig right in. I would always be forcing it down my throat but I hated every second of it. I was traumatized and I swore I’d never try tomato soup again.

But I’m glad I did! This soup had a great smokey flavor from the fire roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers and smoked paprika. It also had a subtle heat that came through at the end thanks to the green chilis. The roasted chickpeas and almonds on top gave a nice textural contrast to the soup.

I used three of my cans of Muir Glen tomatoes. Muir Glen only sells their reserve tomatoes for a limited time and you can only get them online ($10 for the gift basket). When I mentioned that I planned to give away my gift basket, they offered to give me an extra gift basket so I could try the tomatoes myself and one of you could too!

The 2011 Muir Glen Organic Reserve Gift Basket includes:

• One 14.5 oz can Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• One 14.5 oz can Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Diced Tomatoes
• One 14.5 oz can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
• One 14.5 oz can Muir Glen Organic No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
• A recipe booklet featuring a variety of recipes created by award-winning chefs from around the country made with the 2011 Reserve Tomatoes

Giveaway rules Giveaway closed:

• US mailing addresses only
• Enter by midnight (EST) on Thursday, November 10th
• Enter below by answering this question: What foods did you dislike growing up but have learned to love (or at least enjoy) as an adult?
• For an additional entry, Tweet the following about the giveaway: “I want to win some Muir Glen 2011 Reserve Tomatoes from @beantownbaker Enter at www.beantownbaker.com” then come back here leaving another comment saying that you tweeted

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with Roasted Chickpeas

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the soup:
1 roasted red bell pepper
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin

For the roasted chickpeas and almonds:
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

To make the soup:
On the stove top, heat olive oil and the minced garlic. Cook for a minute or two and add the tomatoes and cream. Stir, then add salt, cumin, and the paprika. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Next, add the roasted red pepper to the soup and then puree with an immersion blender (or food processor/blender).

To make the roasted chickpeas and almonds:
While the soup is simmering, combine the chickpeas, almonds, garlic, and spices on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Toss with your hands to distribute spices. Drizzle with olive oil and stir until well coated. Roast at 450 F degrees for about 10 minutes, stirring once.

To serve
Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with the crispy chick pea and almond mixture.

Recipe adapted from Keep It Simple Foods, originally from Cooking Light