This post really should be called, Immersion Excursions.
Before lunch on Friday I stopped by my Grandma’s house. We talked about a LOT of stuff including my new cooking hobby for 2013. She asked if I needed anything for my next Top Chef University recipe. And… well… I did what any normal grandchild would do in that situation. I told her something extravagant that I’d never actually buy myself but really-really wanted.
Hello, Immersion Blender!
Thanks Grandma! Those cheesey pics are for you!
This recipe was holy-bomb delicious! And super easy. I’m a huge fan of easy and I don’t think soup could be any more simple. It’s almost like this… throw everything in a pan and you’re done! That’s my kind of recipe.
Things I did in this recipe that I’d never done before…
- I immersion blended
- I made a puree (this is a pureed soup, FYI)
- I sliced basil, like a master!
- I toasted bread in the oven, not the toaster
Roasted Tomato Soup
Spike teaches this recipe and it takes about an hour (it’s an easy hour so don’t freak out). Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
- 14 roma tomatoes, halved, cores chopped off
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/4 cup evoo
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups veggie or chicken stock
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 pts heavy cream
- kosher salt and black pepper
- fresh basil, sliced for garnish
- toasted french bread
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the halved roma tomatoes out on a cooking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add diced onion, crushed garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Put pan in the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves, throw away.
Remove pan from oven. Heat cream in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add stock once lightly boiling. Let the mixture cook down for 3-4 minutes. Add roasted tomato and onion to the heated cream mixture. Heat for another 4 minutes.
If you have an immersion blender, get to blending. You can also use a good ole’ blender. Pour the mixture into the blender, pulse about 10 times then blend. If you want the soup smooth, pour through a strainer but it’s not required. Top each bowl with fresh basil and a slice of toasted french bread.
Here is how to chop basil into teeny-tiny little strips.
wash…
stack…
roll…
slice…
Voila! Basil just like on the BBQ Chicken pizza from California Pizza Kitchen!
Is it weird that I compare my basil skills to that of CPK?
Before and after…
To make the French bread, I simply sliced up a French loaf, drizzled one side with evoo, salt, and pepper then turned each slice over and did the other side. I broiled the bread for a few minutes on each side to make them toasty.
Look at that pretty soup! The basil is not just for looks people, it really adds to the flava. I don’t recommend skipping it!!
