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Superb Red Pepper Soup

Eleanor Greenly, Levittown, Pennsylvania

Serves 8

6 medium red bell peppers, halved

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped

2 medium firm pears, peeled, cored, and chopped

One 32-ounce container chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Parsley sprigs

1. Preheat the broiler. Line a large baking sheet or broiler pan with foil.

2. Arrange the bell peppers, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Broil 4 inches from the heat source for 14 minutes, or until the peppers are blackened and blistered.

3. Remove the peppers to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes. Peel the peppers, discarding the seeds, skin, and stems; coarsely chop.

4. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, potato, pears, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the parsley.

5. Working in 1-cup batches, purée the soup in a blender, holding the lid down firmly. Return the soup to the Dutch oven and reheat over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with crème fraîche and parsley sprigs.

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TIPS FROM OUR TEST KITCHEN: The recipe for Crème Fraîche is on Title Soups.

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No-Soak Black Bean Soup

Kimberly Hammond, Kingwood, Texas

Serves 8

“This recipe is especially easy because you don’t soak the beans. You can put everything in the slow cooker in the morning and forget about it for the rest of the day.”

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

7 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups vegetable broth

Two 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

½ cup nondairy soy sour cream or plain sour cream

½ medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

½ medium white onion, finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

1. Add the olive oil to a 5-quart slow cooker and turn it to the highest setting. Stir in the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green bell pepper to the slow cooker with the garlic, black beans, 5 cups hot water, vegetable broth, chiles, 2 teaspoons of the cumin, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high for at least 8 hours.

2. Remove the bay leaves. Before serving, blend with a hand mixer or hand-held submersible blender until the mixture is thick, with beans, onion, and peppers visible. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin.

3. Ladle into soup bowls and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and 1 teaspoon each of the red bell pepper and white onion. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Pat Tomme, Brownwood, Texas

Serves 10

“This is my family’s favorite around a good campfire or the dining table.”

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup chopped celery, optional

Four 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, undrained

One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

2 tablespoons chili powder

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion,