Cream of Red Pepper Soup

1. Preheat the broiler. Put the peppers under the broiler and broil them, turning regularly until the skins have blackened all over. Put them into bags, sealing them closed. Leave them for 20 minutes. 2. Rub the blackened skin off the peppers, avoiding rinsing them under the tap if possible as this loses some the natural oil and hence the flavor. 3. Halve the peppers, removing the seeds, stalks and pith, then roughly chop the flesh. 4. Melt the butter in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and rosemary and cook gently over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the rosemary and discard. 5. Add the peppers and stock to the onion, bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then process or sieve the soup to a smooth puree. 6. Stir in half the cream and season with salt, if necessary, and with pepper and a little paprika. 7. Serve the soup hot or chilled, with the remaining cream swirled delicately on top. Speckle the cream very lightly with a pinch of paprika. Creative Cooking Library, The Cajun & Creole Cookbook, The Very Best Of Modern Louisiana Cooking, Photographed Step-By-Step, by Ruby Le Bois Typos by Brenda Adams posted mc 12/12/96 "Grilling peppers gives them a smoky sweetness thats delicious in salads or, as here, in a velvety soup with a secret flavoring of rosemary to add resinous depth. The soup is equally good served hot or chilled." Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #341 Recipe by: Ruby Le Bois; The Cajun & Creole Cookbook From: Brenda Adams Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 19:12:14 -0800