Monday, January 24, 2011

Red Peppers are RAD

Did you kow that red peppers have more immune-boosting Vitamin C than oranges?  That they're high in lycopene, beta-carotene and Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant?  Warm up an boost your health at the same time with a bowl of this delious red pepper and potato soup, talk about hearty!  Don't forget to check out our latest recipes on our website http://www.villagefarms.com/

 

Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients
  • 4 large red bell peppers
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 quart chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
  • 1/4 cup cream or milk
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • Cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

Method

1 Roast the red bell peppers by placing them over or under an open flame until they blacken on all sides. (You can use a grill, cooktop gas burner, or oven broiler.) Place the blackened peppers in a bag, close the bag and let the peppers steam for 10-15 minutes, or until the skins feel like they can easily be slipped off. Remove the peppers from the bag, peel off the blackened skins, remove the seeds. Chop the peppers roughly.
2 Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and cook another 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and roasted peppers. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
3 Add the stock, stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are soft.
4 Purée the soup in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Fill the blender about halfway with the soup. Start the blender on low and keep your hand on the top, in case the lid wants to pop off from the rising steam. Once everything is well chopped, turn the blender to its highest setting and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. You might need to do this in batches.
5 Return to a clean pot set over low heat. Add the cream, stir well and taste. Add some cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4-6.