Red pepper & ginger soup

Place the peppers, onion and garlic in a nonstick roasting tin. Roast in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for 40 minutes or until the peppers have blistered and the onion and garlic are soft. If the onion quarters start to brown too much, cover them with the pepper halves.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the ginger, cumin and coriander and fry over a low heat for 1–2 minutes or until softened. Add the potato, stir well and season with salt and pepper, then pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the vegetables from the oven. Place the peppers in a plastic bag, tie the top and leave to cool. (The steam produced in the bag makes it easier to remove the skin when the peppers are cool.) Add the onions to the potato mixture and carefully squeeze out the garlic pulp into the saucepan. Peel the peppers and add all but one quarter to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, rub the soup through a sieve to purée. Return the soup to the pan and thin with a little water, if necessary. Heat through gently.

Slice the remaining pepper. Ladle the soup into 2 warm bowls and arrange pepper slices on top of each with a spoonful of fromage frais.