Prep: 25 min plus 15 min cooling
Cook: 40 min
Ingredients
6 large red peppers
2 medium onions
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken stock cubes
1 litre boiling water
1 tbsp honey
Pinch saffron stamens
1 orange
1 lemon
Tabasco
Method
Heat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Place the peppers on a heavy-duty baking tray. Trim and halve the onions without peeling. Smear the cut side with olive oil and place on the outside edge of the tray cut side down. Cook in the oven for 20 min until the pepper skins puff and blacken. Turn and cook for a further 15 min then transfer to a plate. Cover with a tight stretch of clingfilm. Leave for 15 min (or until cold if more convenient) for the skin to wrinkle. Remove skin, stalk and seeds. Dissolve the stock cubes, honey and saffron in the boiling water. Add juice from the orange. Remove the skin from the onion halves. Liquidise torn pepper, onion, stock and juices from the plate in batches. Pour into a pan, heat through and adjust the seasoning with salt, freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco. The flavours will be even more interesting if the soup is kept, covered and chilled, for 24 hours.