1.Heat your oven to 425F. Put all the vegetables into a large roasting pan. Pour several generous splashes of olive oil over them, and toss them to coat.
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2.Turn all the peppers and tomatoes so that their cut sides are down. Stick the pan in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes, until the pepper and tomato skins are blistered and charred and the garlic and shallots are soft.
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3.Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool until the vegetables are cool enough to handle gently. Then, use your fingers to remove the skins from the peppers and tomatoes. Cut the very ends off of the garlic cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic out. Put all the vegetables – peppers, tomatoes, shallots, and garlic – into a soup pot. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes (uncovered).
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4.Now, working in batches, puree the soup in a blender (be careful! Use hotpads! Don’t overfill the blender because you don’t want tidal waves of hot soup spewing forth!). Pour it through a strainer into a large bowl or another pot. Then, return all the soup to the pot, and reheat gently if needed. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
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5.Serve! Accompany with a hearty bread and some good cheese. Or grilled cheese. Or maybe some good sausage. Or you can garnish the soup with feta, sauteed corn kernels, and some cilantro oil, and pesto. It will be tasty no matter which way you try it.
