Roasted Pepper & Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 4 large red peppers, halved, deseeded
• 200 g red lentils, rinsed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt, to serve
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Natural yoghurt, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan. Lay the peppers cut-side down on a baking tray with the tomatoes alongside, cut-side up. Roast for 25 minutes until the pepper skins are blackened and blistered and the tomatoes are collapsing. Tip everything into a bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 10 minutes — the steam loosens the pepper skins. Slip the skins off and discard.
2. Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and sweet at the edges. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add the lentils, the roasted peppers and tomatoes with all their juices, and the stock. Bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils have collapsed and the soup smells deeply smoky.
4. Blend until completely smooth — a good 2 minutes in a jug blender or with a stick blender against the side of the pot. Taste and season with salt and a generous crack of pepper. Loosen with a splash of hot water if it's thicker than you'd like.