This Week In My Kitchen :: 8, Sweet and Hot Pepper Soup

This week in my kitchen:

• sunshine in the pantry...lots of it...and rainbows...(Pollyanna ones)
• bargain vintage kitchen finds...silver metal hot milk jug and big hundred year old baking bowl, awesome for bread-making...I wonder who owned these precious treasures before me...
• baked potato and beetroot supper, with pork chop for A and tuna for me
• sweet and hot, pepper soup
• reduced for sauce with chicken and rice next day
• sparkly clean dishes
• fresh fruit from peachcroft farm sunday morning

Sweet and Hot, Pepper soup

Ingredients:

• One leek
• Four ripe sweet peppers (bell pepper/capsicum)
• Two garlic cloves
• A couple of small dried or fresh chilli peppers too taste
• Sea salt and crushed black pepper
• Tomato paste/puree
• A little olive oil or alternative for frying
• Hot water 

Method:

1. Top and tail the leek. Cut it length-wise and then chop into small chunks. Wash well to remove any soil.
2. Pour a little oil into a heavy based pan and add the leek. Allow to sweat for a little while.
3. Meanwhile wash; cut in half and deseed the peppers. Remove the stalk and cut into small pieces. 
4. Peel and crush the garlic and add to the pan. Cook out for a couple of minutes along with the crushed chilli pepper.
5. Add the sweet peppers. Stir well. 
6. Add boiling water and a little tomato paste. Mix. 
7. Bring up to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and leave to cook until the peppers are soft enough to blend. 
8. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
9. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender until smooth and creamy in texture. Add a little more hot water if the mixture is too thick. 

This is a lovely velvety textured soup. The two kinds of peppers give a contrasting sweet and hot flavour. I like to serve it with a spoonful of plain yoghurt and fresh herbs. It works very well when reduced further to a sauce, with chicken or fish. Or grilled tofu, squash or butter beans for a vegan alternative. 

nb. A few people asked me last week about my kitchen drainer. I've had it for ages, at least five or six years. I bought it from a company called Lakeland. Unfortunately they no longer make this design, but if I find a similar one anywhere else, I'll let you know where. 

I'm joining heather author of beauty that moves for her 'this week in my kitchen' blog hop...

...why not come for a peek too?

debx