Mark Bittman’s Fresh Tomato Rice Soup

LUCY BURDETTE: If it’s too late for the fall tomatoes in your garden or farmer’s market, save this recipe for next year—it’s just that good. These days I’m really enjoying The New York Times Cooking app. You can browse by ingredient or course or author, and save what you like to your recipe box. And they often make interesting suggestions based on what you’ve browsed and saved. 

On this particular day, I was desperate to use some of the tomatoes from our garden. (I admit to being a slug with the garden this year due to deadline haze, so John has carried the load.) And I wanted to make it easy—that is, no peeling, no chopping for days, etc. (I prepared the veggies almost entirely in my food processor.) This recipe from Mark Bittman called to me, and John and I both agreed it was delicious! I will make it again and freeze for a day when the tomatoes are only a sunny memory.

Mr. Bittman suggested using water or vegetable broth as the base for the soup, but I subbed organic chicken broth for a little more flavor. We found it didn’t need salt, but say yes to freshly ground pepper.

Ingredients

1 box good chicken broth

2 onions (I used one yellow, one red)

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup brown rice

2 cups fresh tomatoes

4 carrots

2 stalks celery

Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

Olive oil

2 handfuls arugula

In your food processor, grind the onions, carrots and garlic, and then saute them until soft in some olive oil. Add the chopped celery. When the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, make a space in the middle of your pan, add more olive oil and the rice and cook that a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir that in. 

Meanwhile, core the tomatoes, cut them into chunks and whirl in the processor until almost smooth.

Add the puree to your pan with the chicken broth and simmer until the rice is almost done. (Maybe half an hour for brown.) Add the red wine and arugula (could use any greens such as spinach or kale) and simmer another fifteen minutes. Taste for seasoning and enjoy, with or without grilled cheese. This is so so so much better than tomato soup from a can!

Did your family serve tomato soup with grilled cheese as a comfort food? Mine never did, but I'd take that meal any day using Bittman's soup!

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series, featuring fiesty food critic Hayley Snow. THE KEY LIME CRIME is available now!

You can order it at an independent bookstore, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and anywhere books are sold!

"Hayley and Nathan make an appealing pair, and the food descriptions and Key West atmosphere are equally enticing—a sure bet to draw readers of foodie mysteries."

—Booklist

And super-psyched to see the new book chosen for one of the best new books in Woman's World!

Please follow Lucy on Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, or Twitter!

Roasted Tomato Soup with “Grilled Cheese” -- #recipe @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Who doesn’t love tomato soup? I think this is the third variation I’ve posted, and my blog sisters seem to share the love. Smooth and creamy, rich and chunky, sparked with tomato juice, spiced with nutmeg, ginger, Italian herbs, a handful of parsley or cilantro—the flavor combinations abound, and I’ve never met one I didn’t like.

This variation is full of flavor. Roasting the tomatoes and onion at a low, slow heat brings out their sweetness. And the “grilled cheese”—more accurately, baked cheese, or a frico—is the perfect light touch. Our local Italian restaurant serves a Parmesan version Mr. Right calls “Parmesan cookies.” These are every bit as good. Serve on top or on the side and enjoy the crunch, or break off bits to soak up the goodness.

I found this recipe in the Washington Post, reprinted from Bobby Flay Fit: 200 Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle, a collection of lighter recipes by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson (Clarkson Potter, 2017). The original recipe made 4 large cheese fricos; we think 8 smaller cookies a better choice. If you don’t have an immersion or stick blender, known in our house as the whizzy-uppy thing, you could use a standard blender, but of course, be careful with the hot liquid.

Add a salad and a glass of Chardonnay and you’ve got a lovely, light dinner for a chilly night.

Roasted Tomato Soup with “Grilled Cheese”

2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, hulled and halved if large (we used Romas)
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
1 cup dry white wine
Water
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely grated
¼ cup packed fresh cilantro, flat-leaf parsley or basil leaves, plus more, chopped, for garnish (we used parsley; a mix would also be nice)

 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Toss together the tomatoes, onion, oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper on a rimmed baking sheet, until evenly coated. Roast (middle rack) until the tomatoes and onion are soft but not browned, about an hour. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan, add the wine and cook over medium-high heat until the liquid has reduced by half, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add enough water to barely cover the tomatoes, and stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so that the liquid is barely bubbling; cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors come together and the mixture begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, make the “grilled cheese” frichi: Wipe clean the baking sheet you used for the tomatoes and onion, then line it with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Divide the grated cheese into eight equal portions, and pile each on the sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Roast (middle rack) until flat, lightly golden brown all over and crisp at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a metal spatula to carefully transfer them to a plate to cool completely.

Once the soup has thickened, stir in the ¼ cup of herbs. Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the soup until smooth. Increase the heat to medium; cook the soup for 5 minutes more. Taste, and add more salt and pepper, as needed.

To serve, divide the soup among bowls, and top each portion with a frico and some of the chopped herbs.

Serves 4.

From the cover of AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #5 (Midnight Ink, 2018, available for pre-order now):  

In Jewel Bay---Montana's Christmas Village---all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.


When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

Tomato Soup #Recipe @PegCochran

I've always known that tomato soup and grilled cheese go together, but I've never been a fan of canned tomato soup.  So I decided to see if I would like it better if I made my own.

I found a great recipe in Quick Six Fix by Stuart O'Keefe, and I changed virtually nothing except to add about 1/4 cup of cream at the end.  It gave the soup a wonderful silky mouth feel.

This calls for 1 teaspoon of dried red pepper.  My red pepper flakes are ANCIENT and have probably lost a lot of potency.  This was nice and spicy but even hubby could eat it (everything "has a little heat to it" to him.)  I would recommend starting with less and doing a taste test to see if you want more.  And if you're serving little ones, you will definitely want to cut back.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper (I only used a couple twists of the pepper mill)
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzana)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Basil leaves

Heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 5 to 7 minutes until onions wilt.

Add tomatoes, stock and sugar and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Puree soup and butter in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender.

If desired, add a swirl of heavy cream.  Serve with torn basil leaves stirred in.

PS It was delicious!

Easy Tomato Soup with Dill

Tomato/dill soup with cheddar/onion/apple panini  

Understatement of the day:  change is hard.

Right now, I'm trying to make a major change in my life.  My motivation is part desire, part necessity.  It's taking everything I have: attention, emotional energy, and time.  Actually, it's taking MORE time than I technically have.  But while there are costs associated with this effort, I'm hoping for a big pay-off ... that I come out the other side a better, happier, more productive person.

That's worth some effort and risk, right?

Still, it's hard.  I'm drawing support from many friends, but I'm particularly drawing inspiration from a wonderful member of the mystery-loving community.  Lori Cimino, friend to many of us here in the Kitchen, has recently made a big, brave change in her life.  She's been sharing her updates with us all on Facebook, and her dedication is incredible.

One of the sacrifices Lori has made in the name of improving her life is limiting herself to a largely liquid diet for a while.

I've been similarly limited on several occasions (thank you, Mr. Dentist!), and the two foods that have sustained me through those days are mashed potatoes and tomato soup.

Ah, tomato soup.  I grew up eating the condensed stuff out of the can, mixed with skim milk, with crushed up saltines mixed in.  Yum, right?

Actually, yes.  I still love that stuff.  But sometimes I want a more grown up, refined tomato soup.  This one is incredibly tasty, incredibly easy, and can be eaten either hot or cold.  Added bonus?  No chewing required!

Use GOOD tomatoes

Easy Tomato Soup with Dill

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch of leeks (white and light green parts), sliced
2 - 28 oz. cans high quality diced tomatoes
2 c. vegetable broth
2 Tbs. dried dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. light sour cream
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add leeks and saute until soft (about 10 minutes).  Add tomatoes, broth, dill, cayenne, and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes.

Sugar, cayenne and dill make for a sassy soup!

Working in batches, puree soup in a food processor or blender, returning batches to pot as you finish.  Stir in sour cream.  Do NOT bring the soup back to a boil.

Serve topped with freshly ground black pepper.

[I confess, when I made this last, I had it with a sandwich:  a sourdough bread, sharp cheddar, caramelized onions, thin apple slices, all toasted in the toaster oven ...]


What about you ... are you in the midst of a big change?  What's helping you get through it?

~~~~~~

Wendy is the author of the Mysteries a la Mode. Visit her on the web or on Facebook. She also writes the Pet Boutique Mysteries under the name Annie Knox; you can follow Annie on Facebook, too!

Please welcome guest blogger Vicki Delany - ta dah!

Having taken early retirement from her job as a systems analyst in the high-pressure financial world, Vicki is settling down to the rural life in bucolic, Prince Edward County, Ontario where she grows vegetables, eats tomatoes, shovels snow, and rarely wears a watch. You may not be jealous of the Canadian winter, but summer is another story.

All this talk about Valentine’s Day and chocolate inspired me to write about my one true love. Tomatoes.

We have the equivalent of a long-distance relationship, tomatoes and I. We can’t spend nearly as much time as we like together, but when we do meet up, it’s an orgy of indulgence.

I live in Ontario, Canada. Where right now several feet of snow is blocking access to my tomato patch. Because I love tomatoes in all their forms and shapes and sizes and colours, I pretty much refuse to eat what you get in the supermarket. If I can’t have my true love at his (his?) best, I’ll save myself.

Since moving to the country three years ago I’ve become a fan of heirloom tomatoes. If you don’t know what I’m talking about do yourself a favour and seek them out. Heirloom tomatoes are, as the name says, the original tomato. Not the mass-produced stuff you buy at the grocery store whose value is in longevity and easy transportation, but a real tomato valued only for its flavour. There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes from the size of the nail on your little finger to the size of your head, and every colour from pale yellow to deep purple.

A farm near where I live called Vicki’s Veggies (no relation) specializes in organic heirloom tomatoes. Every Labour Day they have a tomato tasting. Long tables are set up in the farmyard full of bowls of tomatoes. Vicki’s also sells seeds and seedlings and last summer I ventured for the first time into growing two of her seedlings, as opposed to the normal variety from the garden store or seed catalogue I usually cultivate. Wow, they grew so much they almost took over my deck! And plentiful! They were late to ripen though and by early October I had to pick the last to bring into the house. They ripened very slowly well into December, and I was able to nibble on a cherry heirloom tomato several times a day. Bliss.

September at Chez Vicki is cooking month. I prepared tons of tomato soup and tomato sauce to freeze and see me through the winter. So these days, I’m having tomato sauce with shrimp over pasta for dinner or tomato soup for lunch. In the soup in particular the flavour of the fresh tomatoes is still outstanding.

I’d love to hear your stories of tomatoes eaten and loved.

Vicki Delany’s Tomato and Pepper Soup

You can use as many tomatoes as you have, and adjust other ingredients accordingly. Don’t worry too much about being exact.

4 lbs ripe red tomatoes

3 sweet red peppers

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp hot red chilli pepper, chopped and seeded

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 ½ cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Large handful of torn fresh basil leaves

Put large pot of water on to boil. When at a full boil add tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from water and cool. Then peel and chop, discarding as many seeds as you can.

Grill sweet peppers under oven broiler for about 15 minutes, turning until charred on all sides. Cool and then peel and finely chop, again discarding as many seeds as you can

In saucepan heat 2 tbsp. oil; add sweet peppers, chilli peppers, salt. Cook about 5 minutes, stir in garlic, cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, salt and basil. Cook 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Add stock and bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Cool soup and puree in blender or food processor. If serving immediately reheat gently. Can add more basil for decoration.

The newest book in Vicki Delany’s acclaimed Constable Molly Smith series, Among the Departed, will be released on May 3^rd 2011.

Vicki is also the author of the Klondike Gold Rush series (Gold Fever) and standalone novels of psychological suspense(Scare the Light Away, Burden of Memory).

The fourth Molly Smith book, Negative Image, is currently up for a CBC award for best mystery.

Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com or catch up her on Facebook and Twitter @vickidelany. She's open to all tales of tomatoes.

.

Tomato Soup Cake

Soup Can by Andy Warhol
(a favorite of mine)
It was a dreary rainy day

in Phoenix yesterday, so

naturally the dudes and I

went for a two hour hike in

Papago Park.

We missed most of the rain but
there was a chill in the air and
the sky stayed gray. We loved it!
Yes, it is possible to get tired of
sunshine so we really try to enjoy
the gloom on the rare days that we
get it.

After our hike, we required cake

and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate
was easy (thank you, Swiss Miss).

But for the cake I wanted something a little more dense than the usual,
so we brought out Gram's recipe box and searched for the recipe my
mother had recently told me about: Tomato Soup Cake. It just begs to be
given a test drive, doesn't it?

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oleo (had to call Mom on that one -- I'd forgotten what oleo was)

(I used 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened, instead)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn ground cloves
1/2 tspn nutmeg
1 can condensed tomato
soup (10.75 oz)
1 tspn baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
Confectioner's sugar




Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 9 baking dish.
Mix tomato soup and baking soda (it will foam a bit) and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until
fluffy then add egg, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Alternately
add the soup and flour to the large mixing bowl. Lastly, mix in
raisins. Pour into baking dish and bake for 50 - 55 minutes.
Let cool and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Well, after dubious looks from the dudes and the Hub, I am
happy to report that this cake is delicious. It's a little heavier
than regular cake, but it's moist and has just the right amount of
spice. If you didn't know tomato soup was in there, you'd never
guess. Two oven mitts up, Gram! Next time I want to try it in

the form of cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!!! YUM!

The winner of our Cookie Cutter contest is Danica Rice! Congrats, Danica! Good luck with the shamrock!

Yippee! I just got word that Sprinkle with Murder is ranked 9th on Barnes and Noble's mass market mystery bestseller list. Let's celebrate and give away some cupcakes! If you’d like to win cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop, send us an e-mail at MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com or a comment with your idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of.

Thanks to everyone who came to Saturday's signing at the Poisoned Pen and enjoyed some Lulu's Cupcakes! Murder and cupcakes -- what's not to love? Here are some pics my father-in-law (Robert Orf) took. He's a wonderful photographer! Thanks, Dad!

www.jennmckinlay.com

Jenn McKinlay

SPRINKLE WITH MURDER

aka

Lucy Lawrence

CUT TO THE CORPSE