Tomato and red pepper soup Ingridients:
1 tbsp olive oil,
450 g red peppers, de-seeded, washed, quartered and thinly sliced,
1 kg ripe tomatoes, chopped,
1-2 level tsp caster sugar,
225 ml chicken or vegetable stock,
1 level tsp salt,
freshly ground black pepper,
fresh basil leaves, shredded, to garnish,
ice cubes.
for the basil topping:
3-4 tbsp finely shredded fresh basil leaves,
125 g fromage frais,
salt and black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the sliced peppers, cover the pan and cook ofer a moderate heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, add the stock, re-cover the pan and continute cooking for another 25-30 minutes. Remove then pan from the heat and allow the soup to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour about half of the mixture into a food processor and blend to a smooth pur�e. Rub the pur�e through a sieve with the back of a spoon, discard the remaining coarse pieces of skin and tomato seeds.
Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cover the bowl and chill the soup for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
About one hour before serving, make the basil topping. To serve, put 4 ice cubes into each soup bowl or soup plate and pour the soup over them. Add a generous spoonful of the basil topping, garnish with shredded basil leaves and serve with warm ciabatta.
source sbodi
photo credit stockfood.com
