Red Pepper Soup

We had the most wonderful soup for dinner... Cream of Red Pepper. Who knew that there was such a thing? Lovely, aromatic, spicy, but a little sweet... sublime. The flavor was robust, but oh so smooth. After the first spoonful, we were sorry that we had ordered an entree as we would have been thrilled with nothing more than a tureen of this wonderful soup.

This recipe did not give me the same results as the soup we enjoyed at the restaurant, but it was very good, and I think it would also be a great jumping off point for a pasta sauce if you cut out the beef broth and added a little basil.

3 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (28-oz.) can (3 cups) Italian plum tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Lay pepper halves, cut side down, on broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches fromheat about 15 minutes or until skin is completely blackened, OR lay whole peppers directly on stove top burner, turning with tongs until completely blackened. Place in plastic bag; let stand 10 minutes to steam. Peel pepper;finely chop.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook until
tender. In blender, puree tomatoes and chopped peppers. Add to
onion. Blend in wine, beef broth, dill weed, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use stick blender at this point and puree, or serve as is. Garnish with sliced green onions and a dollop of sour cream if desired.