Roasted Tomato Soup

So here’s what I did:

I took a handful of grape tomatoes that are starting to get a little soft, put them on a baking sheet and drizzled olive oil over them.  Then I cracked open a can of diced tomatoes, squeezed the juice out of them (saving it for later), and added them to the baking sheet with more olive oil, plus some salt & pepper.  Then I stuck these in the broiler at 500, stirring occasionally.  I didn’t watch the clock, but I bet they were in there for 30 minutes.  I wanted to get a little brown on the tomato skins and a little bit of carmelization on some of the canned tomatoes, since I thought that would intensify the tomato flavor.  They could have been in there for longer, but I was hungry.

In the meantime, I sauteed two diced carrots and a diced onion in some olive oil.  After they were soft, I added two cloves of garlic and probably 1 tsp dried basil.

After the carrot and onion were pretty soft, I added in the reserved tomato juice and 2 c. chicken broth and brought them to a simmer.  I debated one or two cups, but I think two cups was right because otherwise the soup would have been too thick.

When my tomatoes seemed done, I dumped them in the pot with everything else, simmered for a couple of minutes and then pureed as much as possible with my immersion blender.  Then I added about 1/2 c. half-and-half and 1/4 c. red wine.  The wine was sort of last-minute because I saw it sitting on my counter and I felt like the soup flavor was a bit weak, so I wanted to add some zing.

Finally, salt and pepper to taste.

JR liked this; I wasn’t so sure.  I think I used too many carrots and that diluted the tomato flavor.  Also, I maybe would use just a dash of red wine in the future … or maybe some white … or some sherry.  But with the red wine, I kept thinking, “I should have added some parmesan.” (Did you know that Parmesan cheese is so-named because it comes from the Parma region of Italy?)

As tradition would dictate, I had a grilled cheese sandwich with my tomato soup.  Here’s my secret to a good grilled cheese: use lots of butter, and use low heat.  I used to be impatient and use a fairly high heat setting, but that meant I ended up with burnt bread and/or barely melted cheese.  If you use low, you get a great crunch AND delightfully melty cheese that will hopefully run out over the edges a bit so you can nibble on those toasty, crunchy bits!

#tomato #quickandeasy

Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana

Here’s the recipe that I based my soup on.  I made a couple of changes, partly because I had pre-cooked potatoes, and partly because I wondered if sausage and bacon wasn’t overkill.  So I omitted the bacon.  I think I might include it in the future, just for a somewhat richer flavor.

I thought this was good.  It wasn’t fantastic and not as good as at the OG, but good enough for a satisfying meal (and leftovers), and I’ll definitely be making it again.

1. 1 lb ground Italian sausage

2. 1½ tsp crushed red peppers [I used less because I used hot Italian sausage]

3. 1 large diced white onion

4. 4 Tbsp bacon pieces [I omitted the bacon, but I might use some in the future]

5. 2 tsp garlic puree

6. 10 cups water

7. 5 cubes of chicken bouillon [instead of the water+bouillon, I used 8 cups of chicken broth]

8. 1 cup heavy cream

9. 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes

10. ¼ of a bunch of kale [I used more kale, partly because I wanted more nutrition in the soup, and partly because I wasn’t sure what I’d do with leftover kale.]

11. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

12. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

13. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

14. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

15. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

16. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

#creambased #kale #potato #sausage #italian #spicy