cream of paprika soup / sauce

2016-12-05

Essence of paprika.

Paprika is the European name for the red bell pepper and for the condiment made from them. This is a very special soup, the flavor of paprika personified and magnified. I don’t know of any other dish where the paprika flavor is so intense and I doubt that adding paprika powder would make any difference. But why use powdered paprika when you have fresh bell peppers available? This recipe is supposed to be made with all red bell peppers. Loose the onion and green pepper if you want it pure red. I only added the green one for X-mas color contrast.

Bell peppers are sweet peppers, supposedly without capsicum heat. Yet, some people—including myself—get heartburn from eating bell peppers raw. Cooking the bell peppers usually prevents that from happening. I love cooked bell peppers, but I can't eat them raw. If you are sensitive to bell pepper heartburn, be sure to cook them a bit longer and add some cream or milk if it still bothers you.

Do not add as much water, or simmer this down to a thick sauce to concentrate the flavor and get bell pepper sauce.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 2 quarts / 4 servings:

4 large red bell peppers
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. oil dough
S&P
optional:
- ½ medium onion, chopped small
- ½ jalapeño pepper

Pic1: cream of paprika with a green bell pepper for color contrast

Directions

Pic3: load the pot
Pic4: simmer
Pic5: blend

Optional:
- Roast and peel the bell peppers.
  The peel can be bitter.
Chop the (optional) onion. Sauté in olive oil until transparent.
Meanwhile, remove the core and seeds, cut and chop the red bell peppers.
Add the chopped bell peppers and optional jalapeño to the pot. (Pic2)
Stir and stew for 10 minutes.
Add enough water to cover it all. Add S&P to taste.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. (Pic3)
Strain the soup to remove leftover strips of the peel.
Use a stick blender to puree all the red peppers.
Simmer for 10 more minutes.
Optional:
- Slice the green pepper in thin ribbons.
- Add green pepper to the soup for X-mas color contrast.
  They're supposed to be all red.
- Simmer at least 15 minutes to get rid of the heartburn factor.
Optional:
- Add oil dough ½ tsp. at a time until you get the desired thickness.
- Alternatively, simmer to reduce the liquid to the desired thickness.
Rest 5 minutes.
Adjust the seasoning.
Serve and enjoy.

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more and avemariasongs.org

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more
and avemariasongs.org