Red and Yellow Bell Pepper Soup

This recipe was taken from "The Complete Light Kitchen" by Rose Reisman. This soup is wonderful!! It looks good and it tastes great. I used this soup as an appetizer for 6 people but I will definitely be making it as a main meal. 

2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups peeled diced potato
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 red bell peppers, roasted
2 yellow bell peppers, roasted
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, dill or basil


1. Spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking oil, add the vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the stock and potato. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
3. Purée the red peppers in a food processor until smooth. Add half the soup mixture and process until smooth. Season with black pepper and pour into a serving bowl.
4. Rinse out the food processor. Purée the yellow peppers until smooth. Add the remaining soup to the yellow pepper purée and process until smooth. Season with black pepper and pour into another serving bowl.
5. To serve, ladle some of the red pepper soup into one side of an individual serving bowl while, at the same time, ladling some of the yellow pepper soup into the other side of the bowl. Garnish with a sprinkle of cilantro.


Roasting Bell Peppers
Cut bell peppers in half and remove ribs and seeds. Lay the peppers out on a baking sheet and place (6 inches) under the broiler for 15 to 20 minutes, turning several times until charred on all sides. Alternatively, you can use a barbecue on medium-high heat. Place in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let cool and remove skin.