"I live on good soup, not on fine words. " -Moliere One of my first blog posts when I started this thing about a year ago, was an ode to farm fresh tomatoes. You can see those recipes here and here. Truly, a fresh tomato off the vine, picked and sold locally, if not harvested from your own garden, is a treat for the senses that no supermarket tomato can come close to approximating. There are variations in juiciness, sweetness and acidity , size and color. The anticipation of getting these fresh tomatoes mounts and mounts as the growing season progresses. Everyone thinks tomatoes are a summer vegetable (well fruit actually), but the truth is it is quite close to summer's end before the best tomatoes appear, and then poof- they are gone. Recently I was able to get some tomatoes from the local farm I volunteer at and I decided to turn them into Roasted Tomato Soup. This recipe is one I adapted from Tyler Florence. It is so delicious. His original recipe calls for much more fat than I use and also calls for basil. Personally I can't stand basil in tomato soup because it makes me feel like I am eating a bowl of marinara. I grew up on Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup, did you? And I loved it....at the time, with the requisite grilled cheese sandwich on the side. Now the sweetness of the soup really does not appeal to me, but the memory lingers. This soup is a nice grown up version to appease the memory. It's creamy, fresh, beautiful and delicious, with or without the grilled cheese sandwich. So quick, grab some fresh grown tomatoes and make a batch. Better yet, double it (or triple even if you have a soup pot large enough) and place a container in the freezer for another time. Roasted Tomato Soup- serves 4 2 1/2 pounds of assorted ripe tomatoes (large, small, plum, heirloom...), cored, seeded and halved* 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 5 small cloves of garlic, peeled 4 cups thinly sliced onions, packed 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium, if canned) 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional if vegan) 2 Tablespoons heavy cream (optional) Parmesan crisps (optional) 1. Preheat the oven to 450 Degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil then lay a piece of parchment paper on top. 2. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the paper (don't you just love all that variation?). 3. Place the sliced onions and garlic on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Top with fresh thyme. 4. Place tray in hot oven and roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked down and slightly caramelized.. If making Parmesan crisps, reduce oven to 375 degrees F. 5. Remove the thyme sprigs, leaving some of the leaves only behind with the tomatoes. Transfer the roasted tomato mixture into a soup pot large enough to hold the ingredients. Add in bay leaves, stock and butter, if using. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, until liquid is reduced, about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 6. Remove the bay leaves and discard. 7. Using an immersion blender (one of my favorite tools), puree soup, right in the pot, until smooth. If an immersion blender is not available, carefully use a stand blender, filling jar no more than half-way full. You may have to puree in batches. Be careful, contents are HOT! 8. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Add in additional stock, if desired, for thinner soup. Stir in cream if using. (I personally think it's not needed at all- sometimes more fat muddies the flavor instead of heightening it IMHO). 9. To make Parmesan crisps, line a baking sheet with parchment. For every Parmesan crisp you'd like to make , place 1 Tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese onto the baking sheet and pat down into a circle, leaving 2-3 inches between mounds. Bake for 3-5 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool completely before removing from tray (they can be a bit fragile). 10. Ladle soup into bowl and float a Parmesan crisp on top. Serve hot! And it was good to the last drop! ; ) ♥ * Note: To seed the tomatoes, core them first (only needed with the larger tomatoes). Cut the tomatoes in half cross-wise. hold the tomatoes cut side down over a bowl or the sink. Give a gentle squeeze and a little shake and the seeds will fall out, not all of them, but most. Good enough.
PS: If you'd like another great fall soup recipe, please visit this link here.
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"I can't think of a more perfect meal than a comforting, big bowl of soup." -Cristina Ferrare Here in Northern Colorado we have been spoiled by over 2 weeks of unseasonably warm weather. It has been Spring Fever all the way (insert happy dance here)! And it's not like winter has been so unbearably difficult this year (it for sure hasn't), but for the first time in recent memory, we have had snow and consistently cold temperatures pretty much since Thanksgiving (that is pretty unusual for this area. Colorado , for a winter state, generally has it pretty good). So we are all kind over the winter thing...or so we thought. Then today happened. Though signs of spring are sprouting up everywhere, a cold front came in, gray skies and wind in tow, wagging a finger and letting us know "not so fast" on this Spring thing. So on a day like today, when a brisk chill is in the air, I automatically go into soup mode. Today I thought I'd make a hearty soup chock full of veggies with some smoked Polish sausage thrown in for good measure, not to mention great flavor. I used kale in this recipe, but you can easily substitute fresh baby spinach if that is more to your liking. Bring it, winter- I can handle it! Sausage and Bean Soup with Kale- serves 6-8 as a main course 1 lb. Smoked Polish Sausage, sliced lengthwise in half and cut cross-wise into 1/4 " half moons 1 1/2 cup diced onion 1 cup diced fresh celery 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 -14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice 2- 14.5 ounce cans of Great Northern or Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained 8 cups chicken stock, purchased (low-sodium) or homemade 4 sprigs fresh thyme small pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 1 bay leaf 2 cups, packed, thinly sliced Lacinto kale (center ribs removed) Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper 1 Tablespoon good quality red wine vinegar Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 1. In a 6-7 qt Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium heat, saute the sausage until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the sausage to paper towels to drain. 2. Immediately add 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil to pot and stir in celery, carrots, garlic and onion. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.Cook, stirring often, until wilted and onion is translucent. Stir in thyme sprigs, crushed red pepper, if using, and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. 3. To the pot add in chicken stock, 2 cups of water, tomatoes, bay leaf and beans. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, add in browned sausage and simmer 45 minutes longer, with the cover just slightly open. 4. After 45 minutes, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed to suit your taste. Stir in kale. Cover pot and let simmer another 15 minutes, until kale is wilted and tender. 5. Stir in red wine vinegar. Cook 1 more minute. Taste for seasoning one last time and adjust as needed. Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme stems. Ladle soup into bowls, top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. Mmm, Mmm good!
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers," -Anne of Green Gables Do you love fall as much as I do? I look forward to fall all year long. There is something about the way the character of the natural light changes, the cooler weather, the beautiful colors of fall foliage, the earthy smell that just makes me happier than any other time of the year. Although I am not crazy about the dark mornings fall brings, the dark evenings make me happy to have candle-light once again which adds a certain coziness to out home. It just says welcome. And it's apple season! To a girl raised in Upstate New York where there are orchards galore, this is indeed cause for celebration. I can't wait for the local apples to appear at the farmer's market because as good as some apples are year round, ones fresh-picked have a certain quality to them that trumps all others- extra crunchy and juicy and many more varieties to choose from than I typically can find at a local supermarket. Best of all? No icky waxy finish! Fall makes me want to nest more, too. I am eager to cook stews and mostly, soups galore. I make really big batches of Bolognese and marinara sauces along with turkey chili to have on hand in the freezer for cozy cold weather meals. Now really is the most bountiful time of the year at farmer's markets, too.. There are still plenty of tomatoes and warm weather produce and the winter squash are now in. The smell of roasted chiles is always inviting at our markets, and I stock up for my freezer and then use them all year long. Recently I was smitten with some butternut squash, yellow cherry tomatoes and beautiful yellow bell peppers at my local farm stand and came up with a gorgeous soup we will happily eat all season long. Here's the recipe if you care to try it . It can be made with red tomatoes and bell peppers too, and even mushrooms, but let's just say the color won't be as appetizing! Golden Harvest Soup 1 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded (Carefully!) 1 large yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into chunks 1 medium onion, skinned and sliced into wedges 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes (or 1/2 pint approx) 1 1/2 cups baby carrots, or carrot chunks 4- 4 0unce links, sweet italian sausages with fennel 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced fresh thyme sprigs 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1/2 cup dry white wine 6 cups chicken stock, plus additional for thinning soup, if desired olive oil kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush baking sheet with olive oil. Place butternut squash, cut side down on baking sheet. Place prepared yellow bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and carrots on same baking sheet. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat. Scatter fresh thyme sprigs on top. Place tray in oven on middle rack and roast for 30-40 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from oven and let cool until squash is cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottomed soup or stock pot over medium heat. Once oil is hot but not smoking squeeze little balls of sausage out of the casing into the oil. Saute all the sausage in the oil until evenly browned. With slotted spoon remove sausage to paper towels to drain. In remaining oil in pot, saute garlic gently until soft and translucent, being careful not to burn. Add in all the vegetables from tray, scooping out all the soft squash flesh with a spoon, being careful not to get any skin. Crumble thyme leaves into pot, discarding stems. Stir vegetables continuously while adding in wine. Cook, stirring until wine is evaporated. Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper , poultry seasoning and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally , for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree soup right in the pot until as chunky or as smooth as you would like. Add in more broth, as desired. Stir in browned sausage. Simmer soup for another 20-30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust to suit your taste. Serve immediately, sprinkled with a few fresh thyme leaves for garnish. Serves 4-6. Doubles easily. Freezes beautifully! Variation: For vegetarian version, omit sausage and substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock. |
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