Hermione's Pantry

With the cold winter weather making a resurgence I have been making quite a lot of soups for lunch. This has been one of my favourite, smokey, sweet and spicy, just brilliant. It is very easy to chargrill red peppers if you have a gas hob, just hold them over the gas flame until they blister and char! If you don’t have a gas hob, cut the peppers in half, place them on a baking tray under the grill until skin goes black. If you try this method keep a close eye on them!!

Chargrilled Red Pepper and Chilli Soup

Ingredients

• 2 red peppers
• 1 leek
• 1/2 onion
• 1 stick celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 400ml stock
• pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh mint
• zest 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsbp oregano

Method

1. Chargrill the peppers over a gas hob until the skins blacken, then leave to cool.
2. Finely chop the leek, onion and celery. Place in a large pan with a tbsp olive oil and cook on a low heat until softened. Add the garlic and chilli and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, stock and smoked paprika. Chop the chargrilled red peppers into 2 cm pieces then add to the pan. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Blitz the soup in a food processor or hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper.
5. To serve ladle into a bowl then top with fresh mint, lemon zest and oregano.

Enjoy! H x