Soup for Colds, Part 3: The Recipes

Red Pepper-Mushroom Bisque. We’re breaking all the rules here, because traditionally bisque is a smooth, thick soup made from some kind of pureed shellfish. This one uses a smooth puree of red bell peppers, enriched with sautéed mushrooms, Remove seeds and white membranes from 4 red bell peppers, chop in chunks. Saute the peppers in a bit of olive oil, along with 1 diced medium onion, 2 diced garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon ground white pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over everything, stir well, and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add 4 cups of your special stock, stir thoroughly, and simmer for about 5 minutes until the stock thickens. Run everything through a blender until smooth.Iif necessary, strain to remove traces of the pepper peels; reheat. Meanwhile, slice 1-2 cups mushrooms (how much do you love them?) and saute in olive oil until thoroughly browned. To make this extra-special, use a combination of different mushrooms. To serve, carefully position a small pile of mushrooms atop the beautiful red soup in each bowl; if no one has a problem with dairy, first float a circle of sour cream in each bowl and center the mushrooms on it.