Paprika & Red Pepper Soup with Pistachio Puree

Paprika & Red Pepper Soup with Pistachio Puree

Richly satisfying, this luscious-looking soup made with red bell peppers gets a touch of heat from Thai chile. For an extra-nutty flavor, puree an additional 1/4 cup shelled pistachios with 1/4 cup water and serve the soup with a dollop of this pistachio puree on top.

From EatingWell: November/December 2010
Yield: 4 servings, about 1 cup each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons canola oil
  2. 1 small onion, diced
  3. 2 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, stemmed, seeded and diced
  4. 1-2 fresh green Thai or serrano chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
  5. 2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
  6. 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  7. 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  8. 1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
  9. 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  10. 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
  11. 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  12. 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or basil

Preparation

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers and chile to taste. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables release some of their juices and the onion is lightly brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with paprika, salt and cardamom and cook, stirring, until the spices are very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Add pistachios and broth (or water). Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat; let cool 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer the soup to a blender (in batches if necessary) and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the soup to the pan.
  4. Whisk buttermilk and cream in a bowl; stir into the soup. Gently warm over low heat. Serve sprinkled with cilantro (or basil).

Tips & Notes

  1. Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Nutrition Per Serving: 246 calories; 17 g fat (3 g sat, 9 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 5 g fiber; 574 mg sodium; 419 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (180% daily value), Vitamin A (76% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 vegetable, 3 fat