Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup

6 red peppers, destemmed, deseeded, and cut into quarters lengthwise
olive oil
3 cups potatoes, peeled, and diced
2 cups red onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
1 T. paprika
1 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
1/4 cup unbleached flour
4 cups vegetable stock, divided
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice

Place the red peppers, skin side up, on a cookie sheet. Using your fingers, coat the skins with a little of the olive oil. Place the peppers under the broiler and broil for several minutes or until the skin has charred and blackened. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, place the peppers in a brown bag, and allow them to cool in the bag for 15 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bag, remove and discard the blackened skins, place the peppers on a plate, and set aside.

In a large pot, saute the potato, red onion, and celery in olive oil for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and soft. Add the garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt, and white pepper, and saute an additional 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables, stir well, and cook an additional 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat.

Transfer the roasted red peppers and sauteed vegetables to a food processor. Add 1 cup vegetable stock and puree until smooth. Transfer the puree back to the large pot, add the remaining vegetable stock and sherry, and simmer over low heat until heated through. Stir in the soy milk, taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed.