A Pretty Peck of Perky Peppers

Well, I stumbled onto a great sale for red and yellow bell peppers recently. So, I Minnie-Pearled myself over to the colorful store display, and elbowed my way through the competition.
Most zealous shoppers were defeated. Most, that is, but for this cranky little matriarch, wearing an elegant black voile dress, lovely black pumps . . . and pink, spongy curlers in her hair. (?!)
"This ain't Opposite Day!" I softly murmured.

So this menacing, curler-wearing, heat-packin' (Bengay), wicked witch (well, if the broom fits!) with a None Shall Pass look in her eye, proceeded to blackball me, right there, in the middle of the produce department!
And, being the civilized one of the two (not to mention, the most frightened), I let her go nuts, and patiently waited my turn with a God-is-watching-and-taking-notes-Jezebel look on my face. Which I'm sure had no effect on her, whatsoever, but it was the best I could do, under the circumstances.

Fast forward to my safe return home. Once there, I sat and pondered how I was going to use my superabundant rainbow of peppers. Hold on to your seats, my friends, I made . . . soup, glorious soup!



Are you still with me? I hope the suspense didn't kill you. But, I like soup, and I really like red pepper soup, and I really, really like roasted red and yellow pepper soup. The recipe that follows can be used with either red or yellow peppers. I chose to make two separate batches, one red, one yellow, because I can.

Roasted Red (or Yellow) Pepper Soup

5 red bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken stock
Salt and Black Pepper

Slide the peppers under the broiler, skin side up, and grill until the skins are charred. Place the peppers in a plastic bag, seal and allow to stand about 15 minutes. Remove from the bag and peel away skins.

Heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped onion. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the peppers, thyme, red pepper flakes, and chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return mixture to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the soup is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4. Recipe adapted (boy howdy) from Donna Hay's The New Cook.


To plate both soups, I decided to use two glass measuring cups to simultaneously pour each into shallow soup bowls. These were garnished with a sprig of fresh thyme and served with warm flatbread.



The flatbread dough was rolled out into an oval shape, about ¼" thick, and cut into the sides, using a pizza cutter, to resemble a leaf. Then, covered and allowed to rise about 45 minutes. And baked until golden. I'm not providing a recipe for flat bread because everyone has their favorite. Enjoy.