What you'll need

• Serves 2

• 2 medium red capsicums
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 x 400g tinned plum tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 spring onions, finely shredded to garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste

The easy bit

1. .Preheat the grill to hot. Halve and deseed the capsicums, arrange them on the grill and cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and charred, turning occasionally.

2. Leave to cool slightly, then carefully peel off the charred skin. Reserving a small piece for garnish, chop the pepper flesh.
3. In a large pan, fry the onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the chopped capsicum flesh to the pan.
4. Add the stock and the bay leaves. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and transfer to a blender. Process for a few seconds until smooth. Return to the saucepan.
6. Season to taste and heat for 3-4 minutes until piping hot. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved capsicum strips and spring onion.