Chilled Romano pepper soup

Lightly spiced, this Lucas Hollweg recipe has a flavour that falls somewhere between the brightness of gazpacho and the richness of classic tomato soup. Chilled, it makes an ideal summer lunch, but you can happily serve it warm if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Ingreadient

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 large Romano peppers, desseded and sliced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 L fresh vegetable stock
• 2½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 25g pack coriander, leaves picked
• 6 tbsp Greek-style natural yogurt, to serve
• Nigella seeds, to serve

Step by step

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, celery and bay leaves. Cook for 8 minutes over a medium heat until the onions have softened, then add the peppers and cook for 10 minutes more, turning up the heat so the peppers fry.
2. Stir in the cumin, paprika and tomatoes; simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the stock and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves, then add the salt, vinegar and most of the coriander leaves (reserve some for serving). Whizz with a hand blender (or in batches in a jug blender) until smooth. Leave to cool, then cover and chill (ideally overnight). Serve chilled, in bowls, with a dollop of yogurt on top, a sprinkling of nigella seeds and the remaining coriander leaves scattered over.