roasted red pepper soup

It's a good day when the soup du jour is roasted red pepper.  It's even better when I can eat my bistro favorite at home in my pajamas.  On a rainy day when I'm off work, there's nothing quite like the aroma of roasting peppers and homemade soup simmering on the stove with a good book waiting for me and a healthy dose of vitamins to make me happy. :)



roasted red pepper soup

6 medium red bell peppers, halved, stems and seeds discarded  (*or two- 32 oz jars of roasted red peppers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped
2 medium firm pears OR apples, cored and chopped
4 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper
sour cream or plain greek yogurt

If using fresh red peppers, preheat your broiler and line a large baking sheet with foil.  Arrange peppers, cut side down, on the baking sheet.  Broil 4 inches from heat until peppers are blackened and blistered, about 14 minutes.  Remove peppers and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let stand for 20 minutes, then peel peppers, coarsely chop and set aside. *If using jarred peppers, you can obviously skip this step.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion and carrots and saute for 10-15 minutes until softened.  Add garlic and saute for a minute more.  Add peppers, potato, pears (or apples) and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.  Add parsley.

Poor soup into a large bowl and then in 1-cup batches, puree the soup in a blender and return to the Dutch oven and reheat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with sour cream or yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, parsley sprigs and freshly cracked black pepper.  Parmesan cheese makes a nice addition too. :)