This is a from-scratch recipe I did up on the fly. Measures are approximate because I never measure these things.

A savory soup that expresses more nearly tomato & roasted red pepper soup than traditional. Reduce the measures for the pepper ingredients by half for a more traditional tomato bisque.

Makes approximately 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 16oz fresh ripe tomatoes, diced (3 large, 4 medium or 5 plum)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 6 button or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 3 oz dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 to 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 sprig fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprike
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon hot paprika
• ½ cup half & half or light cream
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• salt & crushed black pepper to taste

Directions

Finely chop onion, carrot, celery. Coarsely chop mushrooms. Peel, smash and mince garlic cloves.

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat olive oil until shimmering and barely smoking. Add mushrooms and distribute in a single layer. Add a generous pinch of kosher salt to help the mushrooms sweat. Sweat mushrooms until well browned, then add onion, carrot and celery. Saute until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and incorporate. Saute the mixture, stirring constantly until Tue tomato paste is Brock red and fragrant, being careful not to scorch the tomato. Add vermouth and deglaze, scraping any remaining fond from the bottom of the saucepan. Add paprikas and pepper flakes.

Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes and a sprig of fresh basil. Raise to a boil, then partially cover, lower heat and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the vegetables to break down.

The broth will reduce and thicken. Remove from heat and recover the basil stem and leaves. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool and, working carefully in batches, puree with a blender or food processor covered with a towel to avoid splashes.

Return the soup to low heat and add ½ cup half & half or light cream.