Soup For Summer – Focus on guests not the grill!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup makes a great lunch or light dinner served with salad and grossini when entertaining summertime guests. A perk with soup is that it can be made ahead of time so your focus is on friends and family and not on the stove – great for entertaining. In addition, Red Bell Peppers not only taste great, they are great for you. They packed a more powerful punch than citrus when it comes to being a good source of Vitamin C and are also a good source of beta carotene. So you are serving your guests a healthy and fresh meal.

This recipe comes from Kathy Ireland’s website, which is an excellent resource for home entertaining. I tweeted with Kathy regarding the recipe and she agreed a dollop of ricotta cheese would be a perfect addition to this summer soup. She told me the recipe is the creation of Chef André Carthen, who provides cooking, entertaining and culture solutions for Kathy Ireland Home and acafe. After a tweet or two with Chef André, I discovered his original recipe called for a Feta Cheese topping. I always stick with a chef’s recommendation, but if you are feeling more Italian than Greek, Chef André okay’d the substitution.

Thanks Kathy and Chef André Carthen, big smiles on this soup! For more great recipes visit Kathy Ireland Home and acafe .

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 4 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp. dried cilantro
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Cilantro leaves to garnish

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, cook peppers and onion gently in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the garlic, dried cilantro and tomato paste. Add in half the stock, then bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender. Return to the pan, then add the rest of the stock. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring the soup back to a boil, and then serve at once with cilantro leaves placed on top of each serving.