Cold Red Pepper Soup with Summer Herbs
Cold Red Pepper Soup with Summer Herbs
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: French
Servings: 8 people
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 large sweet red peppers (about 2 1/3 lb) roasted, peeled, and chopped
- 4 cups chopped fresh fennel
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 2 cups chopped carrot
- 1 1/2 cups chopped leek (2 medium leeks) white and pale green parts only
- 2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups chicken stock store bought chicken stock is fine
- 1/2 cup medium-dry white wine
- 2 tbsp pernod
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped chervil
In a medium-large pot over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chopped peppers, chopped fennel, onion, carrot, leek, thyme, garlic, fennel seeds, and bay leaves.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock, wine, Pernod and 1 tablespoon salt.
Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
Cool the soup and remove the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a food process or blender (a blender will make it smoother). Refrigerate until very cold, at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.
Adjust the salt and season the soup generously with fresh black pepper. Sprinkle the basil, parsley and chervil over the soup and serve cold.