Black bean soup with hot roast pepper cream

For the cream: preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush the peppers with olive oil inside and out and roast for about 30 minutes, or until completely soft. Put the peppers with their cooking juices into a blender with all the other ingredients for the cream. Blend until smooth. Chill until needed.

For the soup: meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook gently for a couple of minutes, then add a generous splash of water and cover with a lid. Sweat the vegetables for about 15 minutes, adding a splash of water when necessary to ensure they don’t burn.

Remove the lid, add the cumin and cook for a minute to release its lovely aroma, then add the stock and beans. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool, then whizz in a blender until smooth.

Reheat the soup and serve hot with spoonfuls of the cream on top.