Tomato soup (vaguely mediteranean in style)
In honor of it being Sunday---and my having the day off---which is extremely rare on a Sunday, and in honor of yesterday's successful new soup, I'm going to write up a recipe for you of what I made. I was winging it so I certainly am only fudging some exact proportions/amounts cause I didn't measure anything, or even count. So just add an "ish" to the end of all these measures and instructions, and if you try it trust your instincts...or trust mine I guess if yours are wonky.
Ingredients:
A:
-a little olive oil--really---like only a teaspoon
-1 scallion sliced
-half purple onion sliced
-1 huge clove of garlic chopped
-a good bunch of fresh basil leaves, hand torn
-around 7 or 8 pitted kalamata olives cut into thirds. (to taste)
-a dash of ground black pepper
B:
-About 6 large-ish fresh local red tomatoes cut into chunks (leave the seeds and liquid intact)
-1 tsp (or to taste) sugar
C:
-about 3 tsp salt (to taste) but you shouldn't need more that this --start with less.
-a single serving (6 oz? 5 oz?) plain greek yogurt
Instructions:
In a large sauce pan or a short stock pan do up all of ingredients A on low-med heat. Just enough that the basil gets all wiltish and the kitchen starts to smell wonderful. Stir around a bit occasionally to keep from burning or browning and to distribute the oils.
While these are heating up, and being just lightly fried, chop up the tomatoes. Throw them in a few at a time as you go.
Keeping the heat low-medium, stir, sprinkle the sugar on top, bring back up to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and squishing at big tomato chunks w/wooden spoon. (then it's best to walk away and check your email and have a glass of wine for 15 min or so.) Heat until the tomato skins are separating and the tomatoes are beginning to turn into a mush. By now your kitchen should be smelling very basilly and savory and delicious.
Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or whatever you have that purees). Add yogurt (I'm sure cream or sour cream or Crème Fraîche or something else would work here. I've used greek yogurt in the past for creamy soups and I like how creamy and low-calorie and mild it is, so I just went with what I knew here) Puree til mixed, add salt to taste. (not too much --the olives are salty --indeed next time I'll probably just add more olives).
Put back on low heat until ready to serve.
end recipe.
My accomplice and I had this with a freshly baked rye bread (he bakes bread!) hot and buttered, and a small side salad of arugula, purple onion, kalamata olives, and halved purple grapes with just the faintest drizzle of a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The flavors all worked amazingly well. And the bread dipped in the soup---yum.
Ingredients:
A:
-a little olive oil--really---like only a teaspoon
-1 scallion sliced
-half purple onion sliced
-1 huge clove of garlic chopped
-a good bunch of fresh basil leaves, hand torn
-around 7 or 8 pitted kalamata olives cut into thirds. (to taste)
-a dash of ground black pepper
B:
-About 6 large-ish fresh local red tomatoes cut into chunks (leave the seeds and liquid intact)
-1 tsp (or to taste) sugar
C:
-about 3 tsp salt (to taste) but you shouldn't need more that this --start with less.
-a single serving (6 oz? 5 oz?) plain greek yogurt
Instructions:
In a large sauce pan or a short stock pan do up all of ingredients A on low-med heat. Just enough that the basil gets all wiltish and the kitchen starts to smell wonderful. Stir around a bit occasionally to keep from burning or browning and to distribute the oils.
While these are heating up, and being just lightly fried, chop up the tomatoes. Throw them in a few at a time as you go.
Keeping the heat low-medium, stir, sprinkle the sugar on top, bring back up to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and squishing at big tomato chunks w/wooden spoon. (then it's best to walk away and check your email and have a glass of wine for 15 min or so.) Heat until the tomato skins are separating and the tomatoes are beginning to turn into a mush. By now your kitchen should be smelling very basilly and savory and delicious.
Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or whatever you have that purees). Add yogurt (I'm sure cream or sour cream or Crème Fraîche or something else would work here. I've used greek yogurt in the past for creamy soups and I like how creamy and low-calorie and mild it is, so I just went with what I knew here) Puree til mixed, add salt to taste. (not too much --the olives are salty --indeed next time I'll probably just add more olives).
Put back on low heat until ready to serve.
end recipe.
My accomplice and I had this with a freshly baked rye bread (he bakes bread!) hot and buttered, and a small side salad of arugula, purple onion, kalamata olives, and halved purple grapes with just the faintest drizzle of a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The flavors all worked amazingly well. And the bread dipped in the soup---yum.