Cream of Red Pepper Soup (SB)

By hmp13

Ingredients

• 4 red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 1/4 quarts vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the broiler. Put the peppers in the broiler pan under high heat and turn them regularly until the skins blacken all around. Put them into plastic bags and close. Leave for 20 minutes.

Peel the black skin off the peppers. Avoid rinsing them because this loses some of the natural oil and hence the flavor.

Halve the peppers, removing the seeds, stems and pith. Roughly chop the flesh.

Melt the butter in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and rosemary and cook slowly over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the rosemary and discard.

Add the peppers and stock to the onion and bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Process or strain the soup to a smooth puree.

Stir in half the cream and season with paprika, salt, if necessary, and pepper.

Serve the soup hot or chilled, with the remaining cream swirled delicately on top. Speckle the cream very lightly with a pinch of paprika.