Roasted Pepper Soup

Matt & I are lucky enough to both work at home. (I know many couples say they would kill each other but we've learned to respect each other's space & enjoy the time together.) One of the perks is we get to have a homemade lunch together. We'd gotten into a real sandwich & chips rut over the summer so we decided to make an effort this fall & winter to make homemade soups & stews ahead of time to have instead. This week I made celeriac, potato & apple soup & this roasted pepper soup.

Seriously, who wouldn't prefer this beautiful plate for lunch instead of a cold sandwich? The original recipe called for just red peppers but I used a mixture of red & yellow. I also decided to add a jalapeno to the mix to give it a little bit of a kick. I have to say I was surprised at just how good this soup was, it's rich, creamy & just a little spicy.

Are you wondering about this bread? It's the Peppery Olive Oil Bread with Sweet Potato from the new Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients. We're excited to try a bunch more recipes from this book to go with our daily soups & stews. We need to head to the grocery store now to stock up on various whole grains & interesting flours.

Roasted Pepper Soup

adapted from The Big Book of Soups and Stews: 262 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food

3 large bell peppers (we used a mix of red & yellow)

1 large jalapeno

1 T olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small potato, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 t salt

1/4 t dried thyme

1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes

2 1/2 c chicken or vegetable stock

1 c milk or buttermilk

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Seed & cut the peppers & jalapeno in half. Cut a few slits in them to make the pepper halves lay flat. Place in the tin foil. Put in broiler & let roast until charred, 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from broiler & wrap the peppers in the tin foil to steam. Once cooled a bit, remove the peppers from the tin foil pouch & take off the charred skins (I find this easier to do under running water). Chop roughly.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion & sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic & let cook for a minute or two. Add the potato, salt, thyme, red pepper flakes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & cover then let simmer for about 15 minutes until the potato is tender. Add the chopped peppers & let cook another 5 - 10 minutes. Pureé in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add milk or buttermilk gently heat to serving temperature.

4 servings

The recipe recommends topping with some yogurt or sour cream. We did add some yogurt but it really didn't need it.

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