Capsicum Soup

Capsicums are plentiful and inexpensive in autumn and according to Geoff Jansz, you can't beat the red ones for their sweet taste. If you love great flavours, vibrant colours and healthy foods that fill the kitchen with wonderful aromas, why not give Geoff's red capsicum soup a try.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, peeled & chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 75ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1kg sweet, ripe red capsicums, remove cores, seeds & membranes
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 chopped bacon rashers
• sour cream
• fresh chives

Method

Soften the onion and garlic in olive oil over a low heat. Add the chopped capsicum and cook gently until softened (up to 20 minutes). Puree the caramelised capsicum, onion and garlic in a blender or liquidiser. Add up to four cups of chicken stock, depending on what consistency you want your soup to be. Simmer for about ten minutes, season to taste and add the lemon juice. To make a crispy bacon accompaniment to the soup, chop up a few rashers, put them into a pan, cook until crisp and then drain off remaining fat on kitchen paper. (Tip: you don't need to use extra oil - as the fat comes out of the bacon it will slowly become crispy.) Serve with a sprinkle of chives, a scatter of fried bacon and a dollop of sour cream.

Copyright 1999 CTC Productions