Tomato Basil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 qt. or 8 to 10 tomatoes
1 qt. tomato juice
12 to 14 washed fresh basil leaves
1 c. heavy whipped cream
1 stick or 1/4 lb. sweet unsalted butter
salt to taste
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
6 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and halved lengthwise
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped leeks
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 small boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced
5 c. chicken stock
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives
toasted croutons (for garnish; optional)
extra virgin olive oil (for garnish; optional)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Preparation

Preheat the broiler.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lay 6 of the pepper halves, cut side down, on the foil and broil 2 inches from the heat until well charred, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag and seal the bag.
Allow the peppers to steam in the bag for 10 minutes.
Then remove them from the bag and slip off and discard the skins.
Coarsely chop the peppers and set aside.