For some people it’s the smell of baking cookies, or a simmering curry, but the scent that always brings me back home is the delicious aroma of sautéing onions and peppers. That was the start to almost every meal in my dad’s house when I was little and I always feel warm and happy whenever I start a meal that way myself.

“Peppers” almost always meant pablanos in my house. A pablano is a slightly hot pepper that is perfect for a little kick of heat where you might otherwise put a bell pepper. Pablanos are called anchos here in Vermont and pasillas in California. An ancho might be called an anaheim, or visa versa. The many names for one kind of pepper have to do with the state the pepper is in (dried, smoked, old, young, etc.), but over time different regions have mixed up those names and just chosen one to represent all the states of the pepper. It can be confusing if you’re traveling and trying to find the pepper that you’re used to. Fortunately, here in Vermont, we have farmers! Spicy foods are relatively new to this New England state, so your farmer might not know the proper name for the peppers they’re growing, but your farmer can tell you what your pepper is going to taste like and give you an idea of what dishes it might go well with.
 

A grilled pablano or ahaheim, with it’s skin slipped off, stuffed with herbed goat cheese and baked for 10 or so minutes, is one of the best ways to enjoy a pepper. Another is this soup that I’ve given the recipe for here. My dad called this one “Grilled Soup” which always required explanation when I was serving it. But, I, as an adult, don’t own a grill (don’t tell my dad), so I needed to modify this recipe for the stove. If you own a grill, I highly recommend grilling the onions (quartered), peppers (whole) and tomatoes (whole). You get that nice char flavor and you get a chance to remove the skins. But if you’re looking for something a little simpler, sautéing plus liquid smoke (available at the co-op) is a delicious way to go.

 Smoked Tomato Soup

 

3 anaheim/ancho/bell peppers, cored and sliced
 1 large yellow onion, sliced
 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
 1 tbs olive oil
 liquid smoke (optional)
 6 medium tomatoes, rough chopped
 1 tsp red pepper or chipotle pepper flakes (optional)
 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1) Sauté the peppers, onions, salt, olive oil and 10 drops of liquid smoke over medium high heat until the vegetables start to soften. Add the tomatoes and pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have released their juices and cooked through.
2) Add the broth to the pot, remove the pot from the heat and puree everything together with an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender). Return the soup to the heat and add more salt and liquid smoke to taste.