Roasted Tomato Soup

I grew up on tomato soup from a can, I'm not ashamed to say, I loved it!  But as a grown up, I've come to know that the salt and preservatives added to the store bought canned variety wasn't doing me any good.  Home made is always healthier, not to mention, tastier!  I make this soup often in the summer, when the tomatoes are ripe but winter tomatoes work well also.  I love this soup paired with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, the ultimate comfort food in my book!

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh Italian plum tomatoes, quartered

2 medium onions, cut in half then sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 28 ounce can Italian plum tomatoes 

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, your choice.  I used rosemary and thyme

salt and pepper to taste

bacon fat croutons, optional 

shaved parmesan cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 425°

1.  To roast the vegetables, in a large bowl, mix together the quartered fresh tomatoes, the sliced onions and the crushed garlic. 

Swirl some olive oil over the vegetables, enough to coat all and toss together.  Add salt and pepper to taste and combine.

Turn out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread evenly. 

Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, until onions are tender and turning golden.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

2.  Carefully transfer the roasted veggies to a large pot and add canned tomatoes and chicken broth.  Sprinkle in the minced herbs and stir.

Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  When vegetables are all soft, turn heat off and blend with a hand immersion blender, or blend in batches carefully in a blender, until smooth. 

Reheat to a simmer again, taste for seasoning then shut off the heat and serve garnished with bacon croutons* and shaved parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

* Bacon fat croutons can be made by spreading reserved bacon fat on both sides of a couple slices of good coarse bread, cut into cubes, salt and pepper to taste then bake on a parchment lined baking sheet in a 425° oven for about 12-15 minutes until golden.  Likewise if bacon fat is not available, toss bread cubes with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake as above.

 

 

Tomato and Eggplant Galette

Tomatoes and Eggplant, two late summer vegetables fresh from the garden, on top of  melty, stringy, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, all wrapped up in a light and flaky crust.  Simple and delicious!

Ingredients

For the crust...

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4-6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling... 

Extra virgin olive oil

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/8-inch rounds

2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch rounds

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon slivered fresh basil leaves

salt and black pepper

1 beaten egg

Preheat oven to 375° F  Serves 4-6

1.  For the crust, mix together in a large bowl, the flour and salt.  Add the cold butter and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, until flour resembles course crumbs.  Drizzle 4 tablespoons of cold water over the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture starts to form a ball.  If the dough looks to dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a ball.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

   

2.  On a floured table, roll out the dough into a 14 inch circle.  Transfer the dough on to a piece of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.

 

3.  Drizzle the dough with extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle the mozzarella and the 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese on top, leaving about a 2 inch boarder.

4.  Overlap the tomatoes and eggplant rounds in a fan on top of the cheese.  Scatter the basil over the top of the veggies.  Add a little salt and fresh ground pepper, then drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top.  Fold the edge of the dough up over the filling.  Brush the surface of the crust with the beaten egg.  Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of parmesan over the entire Galette.

5.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown and the veggies are tender.  Serve warm, or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

 

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