Marco Canoras Yellow Pepper Soup Food

LENTIL SOUP WITH TOMATO AND TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• For the lentils: Remove the outer layers from the head of garlic and cut off about 1/4 inch of the stem end to expose the cloves. Add the lentils to a large pot and cover them by 2 inches with water. Add the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, the head of garlic and a couple of pinches of salt. Bring the lentils to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are creamy and tender, about 40 minutes.
• Remove and discard the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf and garlic. Using an immersion blender, puree about one-third of the lentils and return them to the pot. (Or scoop one-third of the lentils into a standard blender and puree, then add back to the pot.)
• For the soffrito: In a food processor, combine the red onion, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme and pulse until the vegetables are minced. Add the mixture to a separate large soup pot along with the olive oil. Turn the heat to high and fry the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they soften and color slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes with their juice, and a couple pinches of salt to the soffrito and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Add the kale and another pinch of salt, stirring to coat the leaves. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the kale is soft.
• Add the lentils into the pot of vegetables and stir. Add about 2 cups water, a little at a time, to thin the soup (it can be more or less water, depending on the level of thickness you prefer). Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Taste and add salt, if needed. Serve with black pepper, Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

MARCO CANORA'S YELLOW-PEPPER SOUP

Steps:

• Heat soffritto base in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add peppers and cook, stirring to coat. Continue cooking until peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and stir to combine.
• Add bay leaves and enough water to cover the vegetable mixture by about 1 inch (about 9 cups); season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pepper and potatoes are almost soft, about 30 minutes.
• Crush the thyme with the flat side of a knife and add it to the pot. Continue to simmer until peppers and potatoes are completely soft, about 15 minutes more.
• Remove bay leaves and thyme; discard. Working in batches, pass soup through a food mill fitted with a fine disk. Whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil, if desired; season with salt and pepper. If soup seems too thick, add a little water to thin out. Serve warm, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with croutons and thyme leaves.

YELLOW PEPPER SOUP

Steps:

• Roast or grill peppers until skin blisters and turns brown.
• When they have cooled a little, strip off blistered skin, open and remove seeds.
• Blend cleaned peppers together with a little vegetable stock until smoothly puréed.
• Combine with remaining vegetable stock and rice.
• Heat thoroughly.
• Add cream, salt and a generous sprinkling of coriander and pepper.
• When serving, place small spoonfuls of extra whipped cream, basil leaves and another sprinkling of coriander and black pepper on top.

MARK'S OLD-FASHIONED SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and peppers, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sausages, and cook about 4 minutes more, until sausages begin to brown. Add the tomatoes, wine, oregano, and a large pinch of salt. Cover, bring to a simmer, and simmer gently about 25 minutes, until the peppers are very soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Note: These recipes have been adapted from "The Campagna Table: Country Style Italian Cooking" by Mark Strausman. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow & Co. Inc.