Roasted Pepper Soup

I usually plan beforehand what I will be making for supper.  I decide on the recipe, write a shopping list, then we drive to buy all the ingredients ... you get the idea?!  Well, last weekend nothing was planned, instead Eric and I ended up at the grocery store wondering what we would like to eat and what we should buy....  Eric remembered my YELLOW PEPPER SOUP

soup ... but alas I could not remember the exact list of ingredients.  So I experimented and ended up making my version of Roasted pepper soup.

What you need:

5 peppers (you can mix and match colours: 2 red 2 yellow 1 orange)

cooking spray (could use olive oil instead)

1 1/2 tsp olive oil 

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 celery stalks, cubed

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 carrots, cubed

1/2 tsp paprika

2 bay leaves

pinch of dried coriander

1/4 tsp dried basil

1 bunch parsley, minced

about 1L vegetable broth

salt, pepper

a pinch of sugar, if peppers are not very sweet

1 1/2 tsp Champaign vinegar (can be replaced by white wine vinegar)

pinch of dried coriander

crème fraiche and parsley leaves for serving (optional)

 What to do:

• Preheat oven to 500 F (260 C).
• Place peppers on a jellyroll pan. Lightly coat peppers with cooking spray. Bake at 500 F for 30 minutes or until blackened on all sides, turning occasionally. 
• Place peppers in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and discard skins. Cut in half lengthwise; discard membranes and seeds.
• While waiting for peppers to cool down, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and garlic; cook for 5-7 minutes, until onion becomes soft and translucent .
• Add potato, and carrot; cook another 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, coriander, basil and bay leaf. 
• Add broth, half the parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. 
• Stir in roasted pepper halves; simmer 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in vinegar, remaining parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
• In batches, puree soup using a kitchen blender (or use an immersion blender).  If soup becomes too thick, add vegetable broth 2-3 tablespoons at a time.
• Serve garnished with parsley and/or creme fraiche (for a vegan version, replace creme fraiche with vegan sour cream or omit altogether)