Spicy Corn Soup with Jalapenos & Roasted Bell Pepper

When the weather is stormy, winds blowing and leaves are strewn all over the place., the only type of food that beckons me is soup and mind you, it should be spicy and hot. Soup has the tendency to warm your heart and soul. I am trying to empty my refrigerator before I buy the next round of veggies. I had four cobs of corn, one bell pepper, one green tomato and a couple sticks of celery. So here is the recipe. You don't have to worry about the size and shape when you chop them, coz they are going to blended anyway :) Olive oil- 1 T Garlic- 1 tsp, chopped Corn- 4, scraped from the cob Red Bell Pepper - 1 Green Tomato- 1 Celery- 1 cup, chopped Thai Red Chilly- 2, chopped Pickled jalapenos- 1 tsp Stock or water- 4 cups Basil- 1 tsp, finely chopped Salt & Pepper- to taste

• Roast bell pepper or use the bottled kind, if you are in a particularly lazy mood ( I roasted mine directly over the gas stove flame and then let in rest in a brown bag, before I removed the skin off)
  
• Heat a saute pan and add oil. When the oil is hot, saute garlic for 30 seconds.
• Stir in the corn, green tomato, celery and red chilly and stir well.
• Allow it cook for about 5 minutes.
• In the meanwhile, peel the skin off the bell pepper and roughly chop it.
• Add the pickled jalapenos, roasted bell pepper , salt and pepper.
• Add the stock and bring it a boil.
  
• you can either use a hand blender or transfer the contents to a blend and blend until it is smooth in texture.
• Transfer back to the saute pan and let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes, check for seasoning and garnish with basil.
• Serve with warm garlic bread.