Cream of Red Pepper Soup

For roasting peppers, you can follow the oven method (see Peasant'sHearth's Roasted Red Bell and Banana Peppers) or stovetop method (see Julesong's Roasted Peppers: How to Roast a Pepper on a Gas Range) or substitute commercial bottled roasted peppers (though some of the flavor is lost with the bottled kind). For a lighter version, use half-and-half. Preparation time does NOT include the time for roasting the peppers.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  small onion, minced
• 1⁄8 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1⁄4 teaspoon  crushed fresh rosemary leaf
• 4  red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 1⁄4 quarts  vegetable stock
• 3  tablespoons tomato paste
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
•  sweet paprika
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute onion and rosemary 5 min over low heat, stirring often.
2. Add peppers and stock, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste; place in food processor or blender; puree.
4. Stir in 1/4 cup cream and paprika, salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into 4 soup bowls and swirl 1 Tbs of cream onto the surface of each; sprinkle cream lightly with paprika for a speckled effect.