Fall Soup

I found this recipe in this month's Southern Living. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to try it! It sounded like a great soup for a chilly fall night. We had it last night for dinner and I DEFINITELY recommend it! Even Sailor Boy liked it, even though he was convinced it was "girly" and he was not expecting much.

Red Pepper and Pear Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 large red bell peppers, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 Anjou pears, peeled and sliced
• 1 (32-oz.) container fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of ground red pepper
• Garnishes: thinly sliced fresh pears, plain yogurt, chopped fresh chives
  
  Preparation

1. Melt butter with oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add bell pepper and next 3 ingredients, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.

3. Process soup, in batches, in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. (I just used my Cuisinart stick blender and it worked great...much easier since I didn't have to keep pouring it into the food processor) Return to Dutch oven, and keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.

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We garnished ours with some sliced pears and a dollop of nice zesty greek yogurt! The fresh sliced pears were great in this soup, they added a nice sweetness! YUM!