Roasted Red Pepper Soup...Yummmm...

 

Despite what many think, soup IS NOT just for winter time.  Soup can be the most filling, comforting, nutritious and simple to whip up. For a long time, I couldn't stand tomatoes. Cooked, like in sauces (spaghetti, pizza, etc.) was fine, but raw or in your face tomato dishes like tomato soup, nope.  I was always jealous though, seeing others with a hot bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. If you are one of those people, then this roasted red pepper may just be the ticket for you.  If you aren't one of those people, then this roasted red pepper may just be the ticket for you too.  

We have a cafe/wine shop/market here called The Gourmet Shop. Great chicken salad, beautiful sandwiches on fresh baguette, cheese plates and homemade soups. One of their periodic soups is a roasted red pepper bisque.  My daughter loves it paired with a half avocado for a light lunch. I've sought out and tried many recipes trying to duplicate that soup at home.  I have finally landed on one, with a few tweaks, that I think is the sure thing. And, insanely easy to make in your kitchen with not a lot of time on your hands. 

I credit this to a person named Judi who posted this to AllRecipes.com some years back.  I've changed a few things, but I still use her recipe for measurements.  She calls for roasting fresh red bell peppers, which I have done.  It's not hard, but it does take some time.  Her recipe calls for roasting and peeling 4 peppers.  I usually default to jarred, already-roasted peppers for time's sake and ease. Rather than using heavy cream, I turn to half & half, mainly because I rarely have whole cream on hand, but since I use half & half in my coffee, it's always in the fridge.  I also like to jazz the soup up at the end with a bit of cayenne pepper and chopped chives.  Once you make it, you'll discover all kinds of little details you may want to play with.

So here we go:  my version of Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

• 1 1/2 or 2 jars roasted red peppers (in the pickle section)
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth **
• 1/2 cream or half & half
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

**It's a good idea to keep bouillon cubes on hand in case you get into a recipe and realize you're out of broth; you can use these to make your own.  

Over medium, saute onions, garlic and peppers in butter until onions are getting tender. Pour in the broth, stirring well and reduce heat to low.  Simmer about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a blender (be careful; open the vent) and puree until nice and smooth. Return to saucepan and add your cream, pepper, salt and cayenne. Heat through for about 5 minutes or so. I top mine off with chives. A dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema is nice too.

We made this just a few days ago and served it with baked potatoes for our little supper.  The soup is delicious right off the bat, but it tastes even more awesome next day. 

Even if you are skeptical about bell peppers, I urge you to try this recipe.  It is smooth and satisfying, like a tomato soup, but a little more mellow because the peppers aren't quite as acidic as tomatoes. Even if you are a tomato lover, try this one too. You may be glad to have it in your repertoire for those days when you just need to shake it up.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll like this one even more than the usual!