Roasted Pepper Soup

Finished Product

Well, I have a treat for you today! I whipped up a roasted pepper soup, and was it ever delicious. Sometimes I cannot even get over my own self and my talent in the kitchen! Hhahah, okay I’m just kidding. But I saw a job posting for Campbell’s Soup as a recipe developer the other day, and I was quite tempted to apply, despite having no professional culinary experience whatsoever.

But enough about me! On to the soup. Often, because I shop for one person, I have several things ready to go bad any second in my fridge and then I have to scramble to think of something to make which uses all of those ingredients. Usually this ends with a stir-fry or stew of some variety.  Today however, I was feeling particularly creative and decided that a soup would be the way to go.

Charred peppers- pre peeling

Start by roasting four peppers (it is the WORST when peppers go to waste since they are $5,000,000.00/pound) under your broiler or on the barbecue. You are looking for blackened skin- the more charred the better. This won’t make the peppers taste burnt, but it will make them very easy to peel, something you are going to have to do for this soup. While they roast, sauté a few strips of bacon in the pot for flavour. If you don’t have bacon, then don’t do that. But if you happen to keep bacon fat in your freezer, put some of that in the pot. This is all optional; olive oil in the pan will work as well. But remember I was trying to use up ingredients. Bacon just adds a depth of flavour and your can crumble it on the soup when the time comes as a garnish. Or you can just eat the strips while standing up in your kitchen as though they are candy.

Your house will smell like you made tacos, and your family will be so excited, and
 then you'll say, "Ha! No, it is healthy soup!" And you'll laugh and laugh and laugh.

When the peppers are out, put them in a sealed container for a few minutes to steam them and further make the skin easier to peel. Now sauté a chopped onion in that bacon fat or olive oil, (so take the bacon out, if you haven’t already) plus a few cloves of garlic. Add your peppers after they are peeled and sliced. We are going to puree the soup, so nothing has to look attractive at this point. Add a tablespoon of cumin, coriander and a little chilli powder to taste. Also add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer in chicken stock for about twenty minutes, puree and add a cup or so of cream. Top with goat cheese (because goat cheese and peppers are like the head cheerleader and quarterback of the football team of food) and a little of the bacon, if you didn’t eat every strip of it already. I hope you enjoy this!