Spicy Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup

I love tomato soup! Over the years I've come across some amazing versions — from the delicate, creamy Tomato Bisque at the Blossom Dairy in Charleston, WV to the bold, olive oil fortified Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup at Uva 69 in Miami, FL. Oddly enough, I never made my own version until a couple weeks ago, but it was worth the wait. I used freshly roasted tomatoes, homemade chicken stock, fresh basil, red pepper, onions and garlic to create a rich and slightly spicy soup. I served it with olive oil-Parmesan croutons made from a loaf of sourdough I had on hand. Next time, I want to try it with mini grilled cheese sandwiches — fresh mozzarella grilled between half-inch baguette slices.

Spicy Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup

3–4 pounds of fresh tomatoes (I used a combination of Roma and Campari)
1/3 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoon
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can, 28-oz., whole peeled tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
2 large handfuls of fresh basil plus extra chiffonade* for garnish
2 teaspoons sugar
fresh ground pepper to taste
sea salt to taste (if needed at all)
good olive oil for drizzling
crusty bread or Parmesan croutons

Preheat oven to 400º. Cut tomatoes in half, toss with 1/3 cup olive oil, sea salt and fresh thyme. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in oven for 45 – 60 minutes.

While the tomatoes roast, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Melt together on medium heat and add onion and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onions begin to soften and add garlic. Continue cooking until the onions just begin to caramelize. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow to cook about 5 minutes longer. Add the canned tomatoes and chicken stock and allow to simmer until the roasted tomatoes are ready. Add the roasted tomatoes and all their juices and the fresh basil. Stir together and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Purée the soup with a hand immersion blender** until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons sugar and salt & pepper as needed to taste. Serve topped with a sprinkling of fresh basil and fresh thyme leaves, a drizzle of good olive oil and Parmesan croutons or crusty bread.



* Cut into fine ribbons
** You could also carefully process through a food mill or in a regular blender if you do not have an immersion blender, but I have found the immersion blender to be an exceptional tool. You can pick up a basic model for $25-$30 and a really nice one for $50-$60.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

I bought a copy of Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking from a used cookbook shop last year. I had always wanted a copy and it seemed only fitting to seek out a treasured old copy that had, hopefully, inspired cooks before me. I read through the book and referenced it on several occasions, but never made a complete recipe until this past weekend. I chose to make Coq Au Vin and it was a such a wonderful experience. I am generally the kind of cook who doesn't follow the recipes. I like to forge my own way and cook by instinct. But it was as though I could hear Julia's voice as I read each line of the recipe — like a link back in time to 1950's Paris when Julia first began her culinary career. I followed every step and made her suggested side dishes: Brown Braised Onions and Sautéed Mushrooms. I am including her recipe for the onions because I found it to be an exciting new little technique that I will use again as a side to other meat dishes. For the Coq Au Vin recipe, I will leave it to you to pick up a copy of this elegant old classic cooking text. It is most important to read from the pages for the full effect.


OIGNONS GLACÉS À BRUN
Brown-Braised Onions

18–24 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons oil

1/2 cup brown stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, red wine or water (I used homemade chicken stock diluted with a little water and a teaspoon of beef bouillon paste)

Salt & Pepper to taste
A medium her bouquet: 4 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon thyme tied is a cheesecloth

When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Braise them as follows:
Pour in the liquid, season to taste, adn add the herb bouquet. Cover adn simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet. Serve them as they are or follow one of Julia's suggestions that follows this recipe in the book.




NOTE: Recipe taken from Mastering the Art of French Cooking By Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck; 1961

French Onion Soup

I am fortunate to be sitting under sunny skies here in Southern California, no doubt about it. For my friends and family back East who are exhausted from battling the snow and cold temps, this soup could be a bright, warm beacon on a cold snowy night! Combine this with a piece of skirt steak seared to a perfect medium, a big green salad and a bottle of good red wine for a French Bistro meal right in your own home. I hope you like my own version of traditional French Onion soup!

French Onion Soup
serves 4

4 large sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup cognac or brandy
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
6 cups chicken broth
2 packets beef bouillon (I use all-natural liquid concentrate; available at Whole Foods Market & Trader Joe's)
salt and pepper to taste
crusty baguette, sliced
Gruyere cheese, grated

In a large, heavy bottom pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions start to caramelize and are a nice golden brown (about 20 – 25 minutes). Deglaze the pan with the Cognac and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the wine and continue simmering 10-15 minutes more. Add the stock and beef bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the soup cooks, toast 8 – 12 slices of baguette in the oven and set aside.

Ladle soup into 4 oven-safe bowls, placed on a baking sheet. Top each bowl with 2 – 3 toasted baguette slices and a handful of grated Gruyere. Place the bowls under the broiler just until the cheese starts to bubble and brown (3 –4 minutes). Serve immediately.

Goat Cheese, Onion & Tomato Tart

Well, it has been much longer than I would like since I last posted an update. The last few weeks have gotten away from me — I can hardly believe it is February 2010! Where does the time go? I have been keeping busy and of course spending some time in the kitchen. One of my latest favorites is a tart I made using a sheet of puff pastry topped with fresh tomatoes, goat cheese and caramelized onions. This would make a nice addition to your menu for the big game on Sunday!


Goat Cheese, Onion & Tomato Tart

1 sheet of puff pastry (9x9), defrosted
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
5 ounces plain goat cheese
6 small (golf ball size) tomatoes on the vine, cut in half
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup of Parmesan or Romano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler, plus 1/3 cup grated
olive oil
sea salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425º. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Unfold the puff pastry onto the baking sheet, pressing the folds together gently. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sautée for 15 – 20 minutes, until almost all the moisture is gone from the pan. Add the white wine and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Continue cooking until the onions are brown and caramelized (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to rest in the pan.

With the tip of a sharp knife, score the pastry dough all around about 1/4 inch in from the edge. Be sure not to cut all the way through. Pierce the dough inside of the score lines multiple times with the tines of a fork as you would a pie crust.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the dough and then cover with onions, staying within the scored border. Next, crumble the goat cheese over the onions and add the halved tomatoes. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and spread the shaved Parmesan over the top. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is a nice golden brown. Add a sprinkling of thyme, cut into squares and serve.

Lemon Yogurt Cake & Reminiscing

I got the recipe for the delightful cake from one of my favorite cooking Divas, Ina Garten. This recipe is in her book: The Barefoot Contessa At Home. The recipe is made lighter than a lemon pound cake by replacing butter with yogurt, but is still sweet and decadent enough to satisfy a craving. Excellent with a cup of fresh brewed coffee in the morning!

The only change I made to the recipe, was using 2% greek style yogurt rather than whole milk regular yogurt. The result was a real crowd pleaser this weekend when we visited a dear old friend and her family.

Our friend and neighbor from our days on Churchill Drive in Charleston, WV, Roberta Allison, was visiting her daughter in Newport Beach. We drove up and spent a fabulous afternoon with them. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to chat with Roberta again and listen to her stories from her years in Charleston and of growing up in Monroe County. The day was topped of with an unbelievable sunset and a cozy dinner with the family. What a perfect way to spend a Saturday!


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Lemon Yogurt Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2–3 lemons)

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 8.5x4.25x2.5 inch loaf pan.

Sift together flour, caking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the oil into the batter, making sure it is all incorporated. Pour the batter io to the greased loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook 1/3 cup of lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cooled cake.

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Chatting with Roberta

Sunset from Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, CA

Holiday Food Adventures

I can hardly believe another Christmas and 2009 have come and gone! It was a quiet, peaceful holiday here, filled with family and friends and good food and wine. Today's entry is a photo tour of some of the goodies I made over the holidays.

Homemade Italian Bread!
After talking to my cousin Nick about how his mother, my Great Aunt Katie, used to make her bread, I tweaked my usual recipe to make bread more like hers. It turned out great — crusty on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. Steve got me a great book about the art and science of baking artisan breads for Christmas. I can't wait to do some more bread baking!

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Cookies!
Chocolate Chip, Orange Cookies, Thumbprints, Pizzelles and Gallettes. I also made Penuche (an old-time candy that my grandmother used to make for my mom and aunts years ago) and Peanut Butter Fudge. All of these are family favorites and the recipes have been handed down through the years.

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Homemade Mushroom Ravioli —
Using my grandfather's antique pasta machine!

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Knead...

Divide...


Roll...


Fill...

... Shape!

Pita Piata — a family classic!
These large nut and raisin rolls are time consuming and require a lot of kneading an rolling. The dough is tender and flaky and has whiskey in it. I add a touch of whiskey to my filling as well, even though that isn;t in the original recipe. I made a hug batch this year and sent them as gifts. I was a little too generous with my filling (a mixture of regular and golden raisins, chopped walnuts and pecans, sugar and cinnamon) and I ran out, so I had to get creative with the last two. I made a mixture of dried figs, walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon and they turned out really great. I think I will make half traditional and half with the new filling next year.

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Brined, Herb-Butter Rubbed Roasted Chicken
I decided to brine a chicken like I brined my Thanksgiving turkey. The result was a tender, juicy chicken that was full of flavor. I make a mean roast turkey the traditional way and have always considered it one of my go-to/signature meals. This just takes the flavor up a notch. I have roasted several chickens in this manner since. Drop me a line if you'd like to see the recipe.

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Homemade Pasta drying in my living room, waiting to be packed and shipped to family back East. This is the night my friend Erin stopped by and called the operation "Santa's Workshop for Food" between the pasta making and the cookie and bread baking. Love it! What a compliment!

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Frying Shrimp and Calamari on Christmas Eve
I usually fry the traditional Italian Smelts on Christmas Eve, but I couldn't find them this year and decided to go with shrimp and calamari. I cleaned and prepared both and then soaked them in milk for about an hour. I dredged them in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic and a dash of cayenne before frying them in canola oil in my electric skillet. They were perfectly crispy and seasoned on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside.

Pasta!

I have been consumed with holiday baking and cooking the last several days. I am tired and have a lot left to do, but it is such a satisfied kind of tired. This weekend, I tried my hand at homemade pasta using my my grandfathers amazing old past machine that I had the honor of inheriting. The machine was one of the first pasta machines ever made and is solid as a rock, making quick work of rolling the dough, even after all these years.

I made two kinds of ravioli and also a little bit of regular pasta with the remaining dough. The texture and flavor was outstanding all around.

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Pasta Dough
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 eggs
water as needed starting with 1/3 cup

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I used an electric stand mixer for my dough and made sure to drizzle small amounts of water until the dough just came together. It made a beautifully satiny dough that was easy to work with.

For some of the ravioli, I made a filling of homemade pesto and fresh ricotta cheese. For the others, I created a filling of finely chopped fresh cremini mushrooms, dried porchinis that I reconstituted and chopped, a touch of butter, a little chicken bouillon, some grated Romano and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. They were delicate and delicious tossed with a little olive oil and Romano cheese!

Last night I was up until 2 am baking Pita Piatas, large nut and raisin rolls kissed with cinnamon, sugar and whiskey. These are a Calabrese tradition and a family favorite. I learned how to make them from my Aunt Rosie last year. Mine turned out really nice again this year. I will post some pictures of them soon. In the meantime, happy holiday baking!