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4 red bell peppers, or 340-g jar roasted red peppers
4 canned or 2 peeled fresh tomatoes
2 284-mL cans chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp hot-red-chili-flakes
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 leek
500 g firm-fleshed fish, such as marlin
1 tsp granulated sugar
sprinkling of chopped fresh coriander or basil
If using fresh peppers, preheat oven to 450F (230C). Slice peppers in half. Remove stem and seeds. Place pepper halves cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast, uncovered, until about half of skin becomes bubbled and charred, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Pull edges of foil over peppers and enclose so they will steam, making skins easier to peel. When cool, peel skin and discard.
While peppers are roasting, finely chop tomatoes. Combine tomatoes along with juice, broth, water, wine, garlic, chili flakes, basil and salt in a large wide saucepan. Crush saffron threads between your fingers and add. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, cut deep green leaves from leek and discard. Barely trim root end so leaves stay attached to white end. Cut in half lengthwise. Thoroughly wash sand from between leaves under cold running water. Then thinly slice crosswise. Add to tomato mixture. When mixture boils, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop flavours.
As soon as peppers are peeled, coarsely chop and add to tomato mixture. If using a jar of peppers, drain well, chop and add. If you wish more broth, simply add another cup (250 mL) of water.
After soup has simmered 20 minutes, slice fish into bite-size pieces. Stir into simmering soup. Cover and cook just until fish flakes easily, from 6 to 8 minutes. Taste and add sugar and more basil, if needed. Serve in heated bowls sprinkled with chopped fresh coriander or basil.
Calories 141, Protein 17.8g, Carbohydrates 8.3g, Fat 3.7g, Fibre 1.8g, Sodium 688mg.
The heady flavour of roasted red pepper adds new dimension to this saffron-laced fish soup. Toss in a few shrimp, mussels or sautéed bay scallops when the occasion calls for a special treat.
At the end of Step 4, after stirring pepper into soup, cover and refrigerate soup up to 2 days or freeze. When ready to serve, reheat and continue with Step 5.