Feed Me Friday (the Sunday version)

I have been asked to provide the recipe for the Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup Mom will serve on Thanksgiving. There's a neat story behind it, so I will let her tell it:In early 2001, I sent an email to cookbook author Rick Rodgers lamenting the problems of cooking for one after my son went away to college. He was gracious enough to reply with some suggestions.

Later that year, my sister and I went out for dinner together at a fussy restaurant. She ordered a roasted red pepper soup. It looked pretty good. I thought it would be easy to make and emailed Rick asking if he knew where I could find a recipe to get started. To my surprise, he replied the next day with a recipe. I read it and immediately drove to the grocery store to get the ingredients and make the soup. It was great, and I took this picture, and emailed Rick, telling him the soup was fabulous. He replied, telling me he would be testing the recipe himself for his then upcoming book "The Carefee Cook."

The final recipe includes sausage, but I still prefer the original.

Rick says: “Don't use bottled red peppers, as they are usually packed in vinegar, and that will make the soup too strong, especially with the balsamic on top.

“Here's an easy way to roast peppers. I broil them, which is much easier than any other way and you can do a lot at a time. The trick is to cut the peppers into large, long strips. Cut off the top lid and bottom inch of the peppers--set these two pieces aside, but poke the stem out of the top lid. Cut the pepper vertically down the side and open up into a long strip. Cut out the ribs and seeds (the strips make this chore easier, too). You can do 3 or 4 peppers in no time this way. Now lay the strips, tops, and bottoms on a broiler rack and broil in a preheated broiler until the peppers turn the familiar black…" Put the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, let cool. When cool enough to handle, simply peel the skins away.

You can find the recipe here, on Rick's website: Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

Mom says it is very easy to make.