{ Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Cashew Pesto | Secret Recipe Club }

It was one of those weeks that Friday could not have come soon enough. Work was wild this week and all consuming. With 3 out of the 5 days spending until 9pm or 10pm at the office, I was so looking forward to Friday night. Hubby and I typically celebrate with wine and appetizers each Friday night either just the two of us or with friends. With such an exhausting work week, the idea of just relaxing, drinking wine and watching mindless television was simply perfect. I am looking forward to a fresh week ahead.

How time flies! It is time for April’s reveal for The Secret Recipe Club. If you are not familiar with The Secret Recipe Club, it is an online cooking club that matches up other like minded food bloggers to cook a recipe from each others blogs. The catch is that you do not know who you are matched up with or what they will choose to make. That is the fun part. Check out the site to learn more about all of the fun.

For April I was matched with Carrie of Witchy Kitchen. Carrie is an adventurous eater from Charlotte, North Carolina. She enjoys cooking for her hubby Shan and darling daughter Zoeya. Quentin the cat is not far away from all of the action in the kitchen. Carrie learned to cook through exploring, watching food network, friends and always being fearless to try something new.

After browsing through Carrie’s blog, I finally decided on the Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Cashew Pesto. The cashew pesto was the clincher for me, not too mention I adore anything with roasted red peppers. My doggie Max loves raw red peppers, so I gave him a bit or two while making the soup. He was happy. I made a few adjustments to her recipe but essentially kept it in tact. Hubby and I enjoyed it for dinner on Sunday night with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and it was just simply perfect. Thank you for a wonderfully simple delicious recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Cashew Pesto

Makes 4 bowls (double if you desire more)

Soup

4 large red peppers
1 large white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
3 ½ C chicken broth

Cut each pepper in half, lengthwise. Lay on skin side directly onto the rack Roast the red peppers at 475 in the oven. Roast until they are charred – about 10 to 15 minutes. Move to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let them steam and cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat butter and olive oil on medium, and cook the onions and garlic, salt and pepper. When the onions are translucent, add chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skin, scrape out the seeds, and slice. Add the peppers to the broth and cook on low for 30 minutes. Use a hand blender to puree the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Cashew Pesto

1/2 c cashews
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 C. basil leaves (loosely packed), roughly chopped
1/4 C. olive oil + 1 t.
1 t. lemon juice
salt & pepper

In a food processor, pulse cashews and garlic a few time. Add basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to a chunky paste. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve soup steaming, spoon a little pesto into the center, and enjoy.