teacher by day - chef by night
As a teacher, I often think about my personal vs. public life. This blog makes me think about those private/personal lines and my privacy as well (especially right now as I am teaching Internet Safety/Responsibility/etc). I am an adult, but I am also an educator …
When Life gives you Lemons – You make Lemonade… SO when Life give you Tomatoes, you make Tomato Juice! We have been enjoying our garden fresh tomatoes for more than a month. I am getting to a point that I am sick and tired of chopping …
Do no get scared off by this title – I ‘only’ used 1 habanero in the pot of soup and it was just spicy enough for me to feel it in my nose a little but without being too killer.
We had a whole bunch of tomatoes in the fridge that would have gone bad on the counter. They had spots that needed to be cut off of them and I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner. We also had some leftover Enchilada Pulled/Shredded Chicken (I just shredded all of the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and heated it with a can of store-bought enchilada sauce which I doctored up with some extra cumin and such). I decided to make a Mexican Tomato Soup & of course our over-abundance of habaneros seemed like a logical choice to fit in with this!
This is an easy “after-work” meal. The first few days of school (and a long Labor Day Weekend) have thrown me off my normal schedule – but this soup has me back to my normal kitchen adventures, I have missed it! To create this meal I litterally just threw tomatoes in the blender & thought about flavors. Then pureeded batches of tomato & friends went into the pot to be heated/reduced/tasted/enjoyed. Perfect with a quick quesadilla on the side to finish off the “Mexican Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Dinner” theme.
Working in batches, place all of your ingredients (except chicken – if using)) in the blender. I started with whatever fit in the blender & then dumped and went back to the blender for more. Place pot over medium heat and allow to come to a boil. Skim off the bubbly parts that rise to the top. I allowed this to simmer for about 30 minutes and thicken up quite a bit – allow it to just become as thick as you enjoy your soup!
Serve in bowls with some shredded cheese and sour cream. The ideal sour cream was mine that I mixed with some of my tasty Salsa Verde. Serve with a quick pan-sauteed quesadilla & enjoy the Mexican flavors of Tomato Soup
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… When do you know when something is too spicy – how do you walk that line?
Survey says: Rich thought it was a little “earthy tasting” (but he hates beets). My Grandmother called me when she was eating the leftovers I gave her and was “Oohing & Aahhing” over it (love you Grandma). Mom & Dad were both very impressed & thought it was better than they were expecting!
This is SO simple and easy – roast up some fresh tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, & salt and you have your sauce. The only “work” to this is planning an hour ahead to roast up your tomatoes. So what are you waiting for – enjoy the flavors of summer and enjoy!!
IT’S TOMATO SEASON
And just in case you don’t believe me – take a look at my counter!!
I love tomatoes and at this point I am still enjoying them and all of their bounty (from our garden & the CSA) – so I am not quite ready to get to making sauce yet, although when you check in with me in about a week I’m sure I’ll be on the sauce-making path). After roasting up veggies for my Tomatillo Salsa & Zucchini Baba Ganoush, I was really in the mood for some roasted tomatoes. What better way to really enjoy the flavors of tomato and roasted tomatoes than in soup (ok – I am sure there are plenty of ways to enjoy these flavors – but a girl can only eat so many sliced tomatoes with salt/pepper on them a day).
Take some of those fresh tomatoes, roast ’em up with some garlic, smash in the pot, add some milk & enjoy (or puree for a smoother soup – that would have been my preference but Rich requested a chunky tomato soup). This is perfect with a nice piece of grilled cheese (we used Mozzarella on some Rosemary bread “grilled” in the George Foremen). Enjoy & play with these basic flavors to get the exact recipe and flavors you are looking for!!
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lay the tomatoes on the pan cut side up with the garlic cloves (skins on) and quartered onion. Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast until the tomatoes are soft and caramelized, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Peel the tomatoes and add the pulp and juices to a soup pan. Squeeze the garlic from its skin and add it to the pan. Place the pan over medium heat, and begin mashing the tomatoes with a potato masher until it’s pulpy, but not chunky OR if you want it smooth – you should place your peels tomato & garlic right into a food processor or blender to make it smooth & then place in the soup pot.
When the mixture is hot but not boiling, stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt. Season with some oregano, rosemary & thyme. Add a pinch of sugar, if needed & grind some fresh pepper on the top of each bowl when you serve it.
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One year ago – [Fresh] Stuffed Tomatoes (these were totally awesome: garden fresh tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella & goat cheese – go check ’em out & get to using more of those tomatoes!)
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.And I leave you with today’s question of the day… how do you like your tomatoes (fresh, roasted, sauced, salsa, none, everything, etc)?