Cream of pepper soup à la Gabi

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 onion(s), very finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely diced
• 1 carrot(s), very finely diced
• 2 small potatoes, roughly diced
• 1 stalk celery, very finely diced
• 4 bell peppers, yellow, roughly diced
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1,250 ml chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 125 ml milk, hot
• Salt
• Paprika powder, sweet
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 30 g Parmesan, fresh, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Fry the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in 4 tablespoons of oil until translucent. Add the potatoes and bell peppers and fry briefly. Top with the broth and simmer gently with the bay leaf for 35 minutes. Then remove the bay leaf and puree with a hand blender and pass through a sieve. Return to the heat, stir in the milk, and season with salt. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, drizzle with the remaining oil, sprinkle with paprika, and garnish with a mixture of parsley and Parmesan cheese. If using red bell peppers, roast them in the oven at 250 degrees Celsius (480 degrees Fahrenheit) first, then peel them.