Roasted Pepper Soup

Broth
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 leek top, washed and chopped
1/2 t dried marjoram
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 t whole black pepper
3 whole allspice
1 whole clove
1/2 t salt
1 qt water

Pepper mixture
4 medium to large green or red peppers
1 dried chipotle pepper
1 shallot, sliced
1 leek root, trimmed, clean, sliced lengthwise, and coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 - 8 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 T sugar
2 T cider or white vinegar
2 T tomato paste

Broth

1. In a soup pot, saute the onion on medium heat in 1 T olive oil until the onion is quite brown.
2. Add the celery, carrot, and leek top. Cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring the mixture often.
3. Add the spices and the water, and simmer over low heat for a half hour or more.
4. Strain the broth, and discard the solids. Set aside

Pepper Mixture

1. While the broth is simmering, wash the green pepper and lay on a broiling rack. Roast the peppers under the broiler, turning them as the skin chars. When the you have finished roasting them, put them in a paper bag and close it tightly, then set aside.
2. In a small dish, cover the chipotle pepper with boiling water, and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat, and saute the shallot, leek root, and celery just until the vegetables are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the potato and garlic.
4. While the vegetables continue to cook, in a small saucepan, cover the tomatillos with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Drain the tomatillos and add to the vegetables.
5. While the tomatillos are cooking, remove the skin and seeds from the green peppers. Coarsely chop them and add to the sauteed vegetables.
6. Reserve the liquid from the chipotle pepper, finely chop the pepper, and add it to the vegetables.
7. Simmer for the vegetables for another three or four minutes until the peppers are well heated.
8. Add the pepper mixture to the broth and bring the soup to a boil. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, and reserved liquid from the chipotle pepper.
9. turn the heat to low, and simmer the mixture for thirty minutes, or until the peppers are very soft.
10. In four or five batches, puree the soup in a food processor. Return the soup to a soup pot, and heat to serving temperature.

Serve with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and chopped cilantro. This soup is very thick. It can also be served as a cooked salsa with tortilla chips.