ROAST RED PEPPER SOUP  WITH ANCHOVY SALSA

A tasty nod to the warmth of spain, this red pepper soup is layered with sweet and salty flavours and it could easily be used as a cooking sauce for fish or white meat. The recipe makes more salsa than you need but any leftovers are delicious spread on a bit of chargrilled bread or toast.

INGREDIENTS

SERVES: 6

Extra virgin olive oil for cooking

6 red peppers, cored, deseeded and cut into quarters

2 onions, diced

6 garlic cloves, grated

2 red chillies, stems removed, chopped – seeds and all

50g caster sugar

Generous pinch of saffron threads

3 ½ tablespoons patis (anise-flavoured liqueur)

100ml red wine vinegar

500ml chicken or vegetable stock

100ml double cream

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salsa:

1 red onion, finely diced

1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and finely diced

2 banana shallots, finely diced

75g salted anchovies, the best you can find, roughly chopped

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 tablespoon finely chopped sage

1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves

METHOD

1: Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas mark 5. Lay a wide strip of tin foil on a baking tray. Drizzle it with olive oil. Place the red peppers on top of the foil and season. Cover with a second strip of tin foil and then seal tightly round the edges to form a bag. Roast for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and let the peppers cool in the bag. The peppers will steam a little and create some condensation that is all flavour.

2: Warm a splash of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes until soft, stirring from time to time. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chillies and stir. Throw in the sugar and saffron, then the pastis and vinegar, and cook on a medium heat until the liquid has evaporated you have a pan full of lovely saffron-coloured onions.

3: Empty the bag of red peppers into the pan, along with all the steamed juices. Cover with the stock and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 25-30 minutes. Add the double cream, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.

4: Cool slightly then whizz in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve into a container and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. At this stage, you can refrigerate the soup for a couple of days and heat it up when needed.

5: When you are ready to serve, mix together all of the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl. Taste and season. Bring the soup to the boil and ladle it into warmed soup bowls. Spoon some salsa into each bowl and trickle on some olive oil just before serving.

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