Roasted Garlic Tomato and Red Pepper Soup with Tofu

A nice dish for the holidays to warm you up.

3 red peppers, sliced
4 large fresh, ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges
2 heads garlic
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 package soft tofu, cubed into bite-sized pieces
1 quart stock chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 cup half and half or light cream
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 450F.  Toss the peppers with a tablespoon olive oil and tip into a rimmed baking sheet.  Do the same for the tomatoes onto a separate baking sheet. Cut the top quarter inch off each head garlic with a sharp knife.  Place each head on a small sheet of aluminum  foil, top with a tablespoon olive oil, and wrap tightly with foil.  Place garlic heads among the peppers and place both sheets into the oven.  Roast for 30 minutes, turning the peppers over halfway through.

Meanwhile, sauté the onions in a soup pot in a bit of olive oil, cooking slowly to brown and caramelize nicely while the veggies roast in the oven.  Once roasted, remove the peppers and tomatoes and tip into the soup pot with the onions.  Unwrap the garlic and allow to cool just enough to handle.  Squeeze the roasted cloves into the soup pot.  Add the stock, cream and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil.  Stir and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook another 15 minutes or so.

Pour soup contents into a food mill and purée, leaving the skins behind.  ( if you don't have a food mill, you might want to peel the tomatoes and peppers beforehand, and use an emersion blender to purée). Return soup to pot, add the sugar, salt and butter and stir to combine while reheating soup.

Distribute tofu evenly among four soup bowls, ladle hot soup over tofu.  Top with parsley.  Serve with crusty bread.  Serves four.