Red Pepper Soup

This is an old favourite recipe of mine, and I often use it as a starter when we have people round for dinner.  Soup as a starter is easy as can be prepared in advance and just warmed through as guests arrive. This recipe is low in fat and it can also be frozen too.  Its a bit of a faff skinning the peppers, but well worth it.

I am just a home cook with no formal training, and quantities of ingredients are approximate, feel free to experiment!

Ingredients: (serves 6 approx.)

• 4 Red Peppers
• 2 Yellow Peppers
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• Vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• seasoning
• Small amount single cream to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Half the peppers and remove the seeds and stalks. Roast in the oven until the skins are blackened.  Remove and place in a sealed plastic bag for a few minutes, before peeling them (this is messy and fiddly but don’t worry if you leave a few bits of skin on), and roughly chop.
2. To a large saucepan add the stock, garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika and the chopped onions and peppers.  Bring to the boil, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup, or allow to cool and transfer to a food processer in batches to blend.
4. Season to taste, and heat through before serving. A swirl of yoghurt can be added when serving if wanted.

Enjoy! x