A FALL Soup

As autumn quickly approaches, we yearn for comfort foods. And nothing ticks that box better than a bowl of a warm hearty soup.

Sweet capsicums and tomato puree makes a beautiful healthy red soup that is sophisticated yet simple to prepare.

Swirled with yogurt and accompanied by hot pesto bread, it makes a splendid starter.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp, extra virgin olive oil

1 Onion, coarsely chopped

1 Garlic clove, chopped

700 g red capsicums, deseeded and coarsely chopped [you can use green capsicum as well incase you don’t like the spicy version]

300 ml tomato puree

300 ml vegetable stock

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

Basil & thyme leaves for garnish

For the bread

1 French bread stick

½ cup pesto

Method

Heat oil in a saucepan and simply combine all the above ingredients together, stirring occasionally. Pour the stock and remove from the heat.

Place the bread in the oven to heat and get crisp for 15 minutes. Meanwhile puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pan and stir in the tomato puree. Also add cinnamon and sugar at this time. Heat the soup gently without allowing it to boil.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top each portion with a tablespoon of yogurt and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with fresh basil and thyme, then serve with the hot pesto bread.

Enjoy as a main meal for lunch or as a side to dinner.