Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

My lawyer, Charles B. Tunnell, and I were having our annual Christmas lunch at the Savannah Grill in Corte Madera, California. We both ordered soup…two bowls, two spoons…and with our first taste began the great adventure of trying to identify the ingredients. We could taste garlic and oregano, and the peppers, tomato and cream. But there was something else. After repeated testing and tasting, I discovered the something else is Worcestershire sauce.

Serves 2 to 3

• 2 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into bits
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Place the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and oregano in a medium pot along with the stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to simmer. Add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer an additional hour and 10 minutes, covered. Remove from the heat and add the cream and sugar. Then using a hand-held mixer, or in a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Serve immediately.

Note: To roast peppers, brush the peppers with olive oil and put them in a roasting pan. Place them under the broiler until their skins swell and blacken.  Turn the peppers several times to roast on all sides.

You can store roasted peppers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I recommend storing them for at least several days to bring out more of the sweetness of the peppers which isn’t there straight out of the oven. A flavorful juice is also extracted from the peppers during refrigeration.