Hi Guys

Well it's been an extremely busy cooking weekend! We had friends over for dinner last evening and I cooked Roasted Red Pepper and Tomatoe soup served iced cold, Lamb Shanks which were delicious with mash and green peas and beans, then I made homemade vanilla ice cream with a chocolate brownie tart! The soup is so easy to prepare, and in this tropical heat is a lovely dish to serve to your guests, as it it so refreshing. Oh and I made homemade bread with marscapone cheese, bacon bits, aubergine and herbs, to accompany the soup.
I think the red pepper and tomatoe soup is a recipe I must share with you as it is so easy to make and would freeze really well.

6 Large Red Peppers seeded and cut into pieces
2 kg Mauritian Tomatoes
Dash Olive Oil
Maldon Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Place all the above in a large roasting pan and roast in your oven on about 180 degrees for at least 2 hours. You can actually smell the tomatoes and peppers and then you know they have roasted enough. Cool, then place in your magimix puree till smooth. Add in 2 large 1 litre tomatoe juices and place in the fridge and chill till icy cold. Some people might want to strain the soup, but I think the rustic texture of the occasional tomatoe pip and pepper skin is a wonderful texture to experience in your mouth! I did not add any garlic into this (I actually forgot) but for garlic lovers a few large cloves would be really nice to roast with the peppers and tomatoes.
Serve in soup bowls with a large head of fresh basil as the garnish, and serve with your choice of bread. This is really delish in this hot weather!

Basic Bread Dough

4 cups Flour (all purpose green label in Mauritius)
2 TBS olive oil
2 teaspoons salt


400 ml warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried yeast

Dissolve the sugar in the water, sprinkle over the yeast, cover and leave in a warm place till frothy. Approx 10 min.

Fit Magimix with steel blade add the flour and salt. Process for 5 seconds. Stop the machine and add in the oil.

Stir the yeast mixture and with the motor running add it in a steady stream.

Immediatly stop the motor and check the consistency, if it is too dry add a little warm water. (The humidity, temperature and porosity of the flour will affect the amount of water used)

Knead in the Magimix for 1 minute, remove the dough from the processor, place in an oiled bowl, rolling the dough over once to coat it.

Place in a warm place cover and let it rise till double in size. Approx 1-2 hours.

Punch down, return to Magimix and process for 10 seconds.

Press out the dough thinly on a grease baking sheet and cover to rise again.(or roasting pan)

This is when you choose your toppings.

Sea salt, pepper, olive oil, rosemary, olives etc

Marscapone, cooked bacon bits, large stalks of rosemary pushed into the dough, olive oil

Peppadews, salami, artichokes, parmesan

Anything you like

This dough is also the base for pizzas.

Happy Cooking

Chat tomorrow
Suexx