Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Week 39: Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Soup with Bacon

The Recipe
(Serves 2)
3-4 red peppers
1 avocado, pitted
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth
½ lime, juiced
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
½ avocado, diced (to garnish)
Peanuts (to garnish)
7-8 slices of bacon (approx 150g), cut into thin strips

Preheat the oven to 225C. Rinse the bell peppers, and put them on their sides in an oven proof dish. Roast for 20 minutes, turn them over and roast for another 20 minutes. They should be slightly black on top when done - if not, give them a few minutes extra. Chop up the peppers, discarding stem, seeds and as much of the skin as will come off easily.

Place a pot over high heat and cook the bacon until most of the fat has been rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot, but leave the fat in. Decrease heat to medium and add your garlic and onions, cooking until the onions are translucent.

Then add in your roasted red peppers with broth and coconut milk along with the smoked paprika, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt and pepper. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Once everything has simmered, scoop out the avocado and add to the saucepan along with the lime juice. Use an immersion blender to mix until soup is smooth and creamy.

Top soup with diced avocado, bacon and peanuts.

The Verdict
Unfortunately I let the bell peppers roast for a bit too long, so it had a bit of a burnt flavour. (They were small - the time mentioned above is fine for regular sized bell peppers.) It's good, but more appropriate for lunch/starter than a full meal - but that's mostly due to my personal preference that soups should have more bite / texture.

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