Roasted pepper soup with polenta croutons

I had several peppers sitting in my fridge threatening to go bad and decided to try making soup with them. Wow! What a good idea. This soup gave me a new appreciation for the flavor of roasted peppers. The polenta croutons were a total fluke. I had left over polenta in the fridge and decided to cube it, broil it in the oven and add them. Perfect addition! The accompanying eggplant in the photo is what my cousin Ely referred to as “Amuse-Bouche”, one bite appetizer. I didn’t make it but it was so good I had to put it in the photo. 

Photograph by Ely Teragli (My talented cousin)

Roasted pepper soup
(Makes about 8 cups)

6 peppers, roasted, peeled  and seeded (I used a mix of red and yellow)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large sweet onion chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 TBSP flour
1 tsp ground sage
3 cups vegetable broth (I used Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
Crème fraîche (for garnish)
Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Balsamic vinegar (for garnish)

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; add onion and garlic and sauté for about 3-5 minutes. Add peppers and 2 ½ cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered. Combine ½ cup broth, sage and flour in a bowl (I use my magic bullet for this) and whisk together until smooth. Add to soup and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes stirring frequently. Cool. Working in batches, process soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to stove and slowly reheat. Add salt and pepper. Top with a dollop of Crème fraîche, parmesan cheese, a little balsamic vinegar and polenta croutons (all optional but really made the soup excellent).