Paprika and Cumin Soup

Cold weather and snow makes me think of soup, as I'm sure it does most people.

This Paprika and cumin soup has a high level of garlic too and is probably up there with chicken soup if you are feeling under the weather or just in need of an infusion of spice on a Winter's day.

For this recipe I have used my base vegetable stock but any good shop bought one will be good for this as would a light chicken stock if you think you may need a protein injection as well.  As the stock never goes above simmering temperature, there less evaporation than with many other soups so less stock is required.  However, this is very scalable recipe and for those of you who love more of a kick (but keeping the essence of the soup itself) increase the spice load in the appropriate ratio otherwise the black pepper does tend to overpower the cumin.

Five or six large fresh Paprika or sweet peppers are needed for this, but experiment as I've also made a thicker version with twice as many.  For this particular soup I use red ones but if you like, you can use the slightly sour greens which are also particularly tasty - but as they less fleshy, they do need a lower heat (say 150c).  Roast these whole and slowly in a medium (160c) oven for about 30 minutes.  Put a layer of oven foil on your baking sheet and sprinkle with just a little olive oil.

• Five or six large Paprika or sweet peppers (as above)
• Two dessert spoons of cumin seeds
• One dessert spoon of black pepper corns
• 25 mls of good olive oil
• One large white Spanish onion, halved and roughly chopped
• Five large cloves of garlic roughly chopped
• 25 mls of cold water
• One teaspoon of salt
• One litre of vegetable stock
• 50 mls of dry vermouth

In a spice mill, freshly grind the cumin and peppers corns.

In a large pan, and over a medium heat, add the olive oil and as this starts to warm through add the onion and garlic.  As these start to soften, add the ground spices and stir constantly until the onion just begins to change colour.  Add the cold water and lower the heat.  As the onion/spice paste starts to thicken slightly, add the salt and about a third of the stock.

Meanwhile, taking the Paprika/sweet peppers out of the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.  De-stalk and seed them and roughly chop them up.  The stock should be warming through and just below simmering point when you add the peppers.  Stir and then add the remaining stock and again bring to just below simmering point.  Take off the heat and cover and allow the flavours to amalgamate for approximately an hour or more.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, blend the soup to a smooth consistency and add the vermouth.  Place on a low to medium heat and again, bring just below the simmer point.

Serve with a small spoon of sour cream in the centre and a little bowl of caramelised onions on the side.