Roasted Red Pepper Soup

4 medium red sweet peppers
1 small yellow sweet pepper
1 to 2 small red serrano peppers
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove stems, membranes and seeds from peppers. Place peppers, cut side down, on foil-lined baking sheet. Add garlic. Brush peppers and garlic with oil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until skins are bubbly. Wrap peppers in foil; let stand 20 to 30 minutes or until just cool. Using a paring knife, pull skins off peppers.

In a saucepan combine red and serrano peppers and broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 7 minutes or until liquid is reduced by one-third. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in blender container combine roasted yellow pepper and ? cup of cream. Blend until pur?ed. Transfer to small bowl. Cover; chill. Rinse container; dry.

In same blender container blend half the cooked red pepper mixture at a time until smooth. Strain, if necessary. Place strained mixture in same saucepan. Stir in remaining cream. Cook and stir until heated through.

Ladle into serving bowls. Swirl 2 tablespoons yellow pepper cream into each serving. Top with basil.

Makes 4 servings.

Ribollita (Tuscan Vegetable Soup)

Ribollita literally means "re-boiled." It usually consists of leftovers that are reheated with the addition of beans. In Tuscany, olive oil is served as a condiment to be poured into the soup at the table.

1/2 cup dried cannellini beans
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 cups diced zucchini
1/4 pound green beans, topped, tailed
    and cut into short pieces
6 slices white bread
1 pound green cabbage, sliced
Olive oil
Water
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Begin preparation the day before you plan to serve the soup. Put dried beans in a pan with 1 1/2 pints of cold water and bring to boil. Turn off heat and leave beans to soak for 1 hour. Heat some olive oil in a large pan and add garlic, onion, carrot, celery and leek and saut? gently for 5 minutes. Add drained beans, tomatoes and 3 pints cold water. Simmer gently for 1 hour or until beans are tender. Halfway through cooking beans, add zucchini and green beans. Refrigerate the soup overnight.

The next day cook cabbage in boiling water and reheat soup. Put a slice of bread in the bottom of individual, warmed soup dishes. Drain cabbage and pile onto the bread. Adjust seasoning of the soup to taste and ladle into soup dishes.

Serve with a jug of olive oil so that each person can pour some into their soup.

Raw Vegetable Appetizer Soup

6 large ripe tomatoes (4 1/2 cups chopped)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated carrot
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated Bermuda onion
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco? sauce
1/8 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons ?Real? French Dressing
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Chill and serve with a sprig of watercress.

Potato Rivel Soup

Cook salted diced potatoes in water to almost cover potatoes until just done. Add as much milk as you have potatoes and water. Bring just to a boil and stir in rivels with a fork while liquid simmers. Stir every little bit to keep soup from sticking and burning. Simmer for 15 minutes or until rivels are done. Adjust thickness of soup by adding more milk if too thick. It may need more salt.

Rivels
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Mix flour and salt. Stir in the egg. Stir with a fork, then with fingers to make crumbles. You might need a second egg if the mix is too floury.

Oaxaca Soup

10 chile poblanos*, fresh or canned
6 medium potatoes
6 medium tomatoes, peeled
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
4 to 6 cups water, as necessary
Salt, to taste
3 tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups milk
1 pound Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese, diced

If chiles are fresh, first roast them on a hot griddle until the skin blisters and turns brown. Put them in a plastic bag to "sweat" for about 10 minutes, then peel, de-vein, and remove the seeds. If canned chiles are used, slit them and remove seeds. Rinse chiles in water and cut in long strips. Peel and cube the potatoes. Pur?e tomatoes in the blender and pour through a sieve to remove seeds. In a 6- to 8-quart pan, fry the onion and garlic, potatoes and chili strips in the oil until the onion is soft. Add the pur?ed tomatoes and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the water, salt, broth granules, parsley and baking soda.

In a separate pan, bring the milk to a boil, remove any "skin," and add to the other mixture. Add about one-third of the diced cheese and let it melt. In each individual soup bowl, put about 3 tablespoons diced cheese and pour the piping hot soup over it.

* A dark green pepper, usually mild in flavor. Bell peppers may be substituted, but they are not as good. If bell pepper is used, add 1 tablespoon Tabasco to the soup.

Miracle Soup

This is called the "diet soup." Miracle soup can be eaten at any time you feel hungry. Eat as much as you can and as often as you like. The soup will not add calories. The more you eat, the more you lose. Fill containers and take to work.

6 large onions
2 green bell peppers
Whole tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 large head cabbage
1 large bunch celery
Dry onion soup mix

Cut vegetables in medium-size pieces and cook covered with water for 10 minutes. Turn on low heat and simmer until vegetables are soft.

Minestrone

10 cups cooked red beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 zucchini, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 carrot, diced
5 leaves spinach or chard, chopped
8 ounces tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes

Crush 7 cups of beans and leave the remaining beans whole. Combine all remaining ingredients except macaroni and basil. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add basil and macaroni and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.