Thursday, October 25, 2007

No Soup for You!

This tomato soup recipe started out in Joy of Cooking and my good friend L played with it and I played with it some more. It is a great way to use up some of those garden tomatoes.

2T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 lbs. fresh tomatoes (peeling and seeding optional), chopped
1 t. fresh basil, chopped
1 t. fresh oregano, chopped
3-4 c. chicken stock
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. half-and-half or cream

In a big soup pot, saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add tomotoes, basil, and oregano. Bring to boil, then simmer 25 minutes. Let cool enough to process in food processor. Return to pot, add chicken stock, half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Serve with shredded parmesan and/or fresh Italian parsley, if desired.

(This soup can be frozen before adding half-and-half.)

P.S. I washed and quartered and cooked more tomatoes, and ran them through my Foley food mill, with the intention of cooking the result down to sauce. But then I realized it could be used in the above recipe, so I poured the slop into canning jars and froze it.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Hot. Hot, Hot, HOT!

It's October 8 and 90 degrees. Is this global warming? I'm moving north.


I keep declaring my kitchen a tomato-free zone, but it does not last for long. This summer I have eaten tomatoes with cottage cheese and in chili, lasagna, minestrone, and pizza. I have made tomato sauce and gallons of salsa. I take them to work, where my co-workers gladly make off with them. What was I thinking when I ordered SEVEN tomato plants?!? It wasn't my fault. It was winter, and there were gardening catalogs to peruse during those long cold nights.