Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Roasted red pepper soup is a wonderful dish to make to utilize all the beautiful peppers in season. When you roast the peppers they take on a much sweeter taste and they lend their characteristic flavor in this soup. We used red peppers here, but you could of course use yellow, orange or a combination thereof. 

2 servings

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• ½ onion
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 potato, chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon of brandy/liquor
• 2 large roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 large or 2 small blanched tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups of broth (I used water and two bullion cubes)
• ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of citrus juice (grapefruit/orange/lemon)
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream/some half-and-half
• salt and pepper

Method:

Sautee onion, carrot and celery in some olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the potato and the spices/herbs and sautee for another 10 minutes. De-glaze the pan with some brandy or white wine/dry vermouth. Add the roasted pepper and the blanched tomato, sautee for another few minutes. Add the broth/water and bullion cubes and let come to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes or until very soft.

When the soup looks almost ready, blend it completely to achieve a very smooth texture. Bring the soup back to the pan and taste off with balsamic vinegar and citrus juice. Add some sour ream or half-and-half, whisk well. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.