Roasted Red Pepper Cream Soup

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 large red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil, plus basil chiffonade, for garnish
• salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• black pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup light cream

Recipe

• 1 roast peppers: turn burner to high.
• 2 impale a red pepper on a long-handled fork and hold over high heat, turning to char skin evenly.
• 3 when skin is brown and crackly, immediately plunge pepper in a bowl of ice water; the skin will fall away.
• 4 repeat with remaining peppers.
• 5 seed peppers and chop coarsely.
• 6 alternatively, broil peppers in a preheated broiler 4 inches from element, turning to char all sides evenly.
• 7 combine oil, onions, garlic, basil, salt, cayenne, 3 turns of pepper and roasted peppers in a medium saucepan.
• 8 cook 3 minutes over high heat.
• 9 stir in stock and 1/4 cup cream and bring to a boil.
• 10 reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
• 11 purée red pepper mixture in food processor or with a hand blender until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• 12 return red pepper soup to pan with remaining cream and heat on medium-low heat before serving, garnished with basil chiffonade.