Dr Pepper and Mr Fennel

It was time to crack open a can of Gin and Tonic, left over from my birthday party in August, as I had a bit of a break from the busy professional life I lead.

I'd heard the weather was on the turn and the chilly weather, that froze my tailored suit trousers during a wonderful curry with great company the previous week, was to return. As a result my thoughts turned to making a strong soup with some Fennel Seeds that I'd purchased.

The ingredients for the soup were as follows:

1 Red Pepper, de-seeded, topped and cut in half lengthways.
1 Large Red Onion, topped and tailed and cut into large strips.
5 Cloves of Garlic, topped and tailed and cut into small pieces.
2 Teaspoons of Fennel Seeds.
2 Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning (containing Rosemary, Thyme and Marjoram).
2 Teaspoons of dried Parsley.
1 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar.
0.3 litres of water.
1 Teaspoon of Chilli Powder.
1 Teaspoon of White Pepper.

On the player was an excellent collection of BBC recordings by the Who showing how vital their early live work was when they were trying to establish themselves in the mid 1960s as a viable force in contemporary music.

To start the preparation I covered the bottom of my Le Cresceut Dish with cooking oil and put the halves of Pepper in there with the inside facing up. I then filled them with the herbs, spices and the Garlic.

Next I put the Onion pieces in the dish and spread them out between the halves of Pepper and I added the Red Wine Vinegar evenly.

After this I turned the heat up to medium on the hob and sweated the contents of the Le Cresceut for twenty five minutes with the lid on. I turned them occasionally and adjusted the heat to stop them burning too much while still keeping the temperature high enough to smoke the peppers.

After twenty five minutes I added the water and let the food cook on the hob for another twenty minutes until it was a little more softened. I then turned the heat off and left the food to cool for a time.

Later I blended it and returned it to the Le Cresceut dish and warmed it through prior to serving. I served it in a soup dish with a healthy sprinkling of fiery Cayenne Pepper on top. Keeping the skin of the Pepper on gave the soup a real texture and the garlic, fennel seeds together with the other herbs and spices gave this soup a kick and an energy that went well with my lunchtime cheese and biscuits as I enjoyed some time out.

Spark to a flame; this soup has an orange glow to it.