• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 large red bell peppers
• 3 carrots
• 2 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 ripe banana or pear - pear gives a sweeter taste, banana is more complex
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Plain yogurt - best to use a thin kind, not the "European" version

Chop the peppers into big pieces, removing stem, seeds, and white stuff. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/4-inch bits. Chop the shallots. Chop the garlic.

In a 4 quart pot with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. We don't want to brown them, so stir from time to time.

Peel the banana and cut into one inch slices. Or if you're using a pear, peel and core it and chop it up.

Add broth and fruit to the vegetables. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Use a stick blender to puree the soup.

Optional step: If you eat the soup as-is you will probably have little bits of pepper skin to deal with. It's not bad, but if you want a more formal soup then use a strainer and press the soup through it. This takes about 15 minutes of work and does nothing to the flavor. Of course if you have a chinois this step is easy. Still, there's more clean up and that strainer is hard to pick all the bits out of when you clean up.

Add salt to taste and cayenne pepper.

Place the soup in bowls. Then put a dollop of yogurt in the center of each.