Author: Wendi

Side Dishes, South Beach Diet

Flashback Friday – Alt Risotto

by Wendi7 Comments on Flashback Friday – Alt Risotto

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 9/4/08 at Exit 51.

Alt Risotto

One thing I really miss cooking is creamy, tender risotto.  It’s one of my favorite comfort foods.  But the arborrio rice presents a problem.  We’re just not far enough along on our SB journey to have even a little bit of it.  And really, can you honestly just have a little risotto?  No, it calls to you from the pot until you find yourself licking the last bit off the serving spoon.  It’s dangerous business. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Alt Risotto” →

Chicken, Main Course

Pam Anderson’s Perfect One Dish Chicken Pot Pie

by Wendi20 Comments on Pam Anderson’s Perfect One Dish Chicken Pot Pie

Today we’re going on a journey of the imagination.  Look at the photo above.  Now close your eyes and imagine quick and easy drop biscuits topping that bowl of appley, chickeny goodness.  That, my friends, is some simply delicious pot pie.

Now, you may have mixed feeling about pot pie.  Those frozen hockey pucks with cardboard crusts and thin, bland filling.  Dear friends, make no mistake, that is not potpie.  If the prepackaged variety is all you’ve ever known, this recipe may change your mind, and your life.

Before you start saying “I can’t make potpie, it takes too much time” or “I love potpie but I have an irrational fear of making dough”, take a moment.  Imagine a potpie that doesn’t require a rolled crust or an all day commitment.  Does that sound too good to be true?  Believe me when I say that it’s for real.

If one recipe could justify the purchase of a cookbook, this is it.  Because if you never made anything else from Pam Anderson’s Perfect One Dish Dinners, her Chicken Pot Pie alone is worth the list price.  With a minimal number of ingredients and the tiniest amount of effort, you too can enjoy potpie as it should be.  Rich and creamy, hearty and filling, in no time flat.  Just imagine the possibilities.

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from Pam Anderson’s Perfect One Dish Dinners

BAH Note: I halved the amount of chicken Pam calls for in her recipe because I prefer a high ratio of sauce to chicken in my potpies.  But that’s just me.  I also reduced the amount of flour in the sauce by half because I kept ending up with lumps.  That could have just been me also.  Please don’t be tempted to substitute onions for the leeks.  It just won’t be a good trade off.  I was quite wary of the leek for the longest time…until I used them in this recipe.  What I learned is that the leeks provide a subtle flavor and are the perfect complement to the apple and sage.  I also learned that when you don’t have the ingredients on hand to make the quick drop biscuit topping, you leave it off and call it Chicken Stew. I made this in a 5.5 quart dutch oven.  You could also bake it up in a 9×13 baking dish or two 9 inch pie plates, but I like keeping the number of dirty pans to a minimum.

BAH Tip: Leeks are deceptive.  They may look clean on the outside while the inside is full of gritty sand.  You don’t want that in your dish.  To remove the sand, cut the dark green tops off the leeks and then slice the leeks in half lengthwise.  If there isn’t much sand inside, place the halves under running water and separate the layers to rinse the sand away.  For particularly sandy leeks, fill a large mixing bowl with water, slice the halved leeks, and place the slices into the water.  Use your hands to swish the slices around so that the sand falls to the bottom of your bowl.  Use a slotted spoon or your hands to carefully remove the leek slices from the water, leaving the gritty sand in the bowl.

Base

  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 6 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 large leeks, washed thoroughly (see tip above), light green and white parts only, chopped
  • 2 large apples, quartered, cored, and sliced thinly (Granny Smith is especially nice for this)
  • 2 to 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken or turkey
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 teaspoons dried sage

Biscuits

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 stick of butter, frozen
  • 1 cup buttermilk, cold

Place oven rack in lower middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Microwave the chicken broth and evaporated milk in a large microwave safe bowl for 3 to 4 minutes until it is just steamy.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add the leeks and apples and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until they are just tender.  Transfer the leek and apple mixture to a large bowl.  Add the shredded chicken or turkey to the bowl and set it aside.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in the now empty skillet set over medium heat.  When the foaming subsides, whisk in the flour and sage and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until golden.  Slowly add the warmed milk, whisking until smooth, and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.  Add the chicken mixture back to the pot and stir until it is combined.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  Top with biscuits and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling bubbles, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

To make the biscuit topping, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cheddar cheese in a medium bowl.  Using the coarse side of a box grater, carefully grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture and mix quickly with your fingertips to blend evenly.  Mix the buttermilk into the dry ingredients with a fork until the dough just comes together.  Use your fingers to pinch small rounds of dough and place on top of the filling.

{printable recipe}

Baking, Food Memories

Food Memories – Puffy Hearts and Rings

by Wendi23 Comments on Food Memories – Puffy Hearts and Rings

Today’s Food Memory comes from Jenny Yu of Use Real Butter.  URB was one of the very first blogs I started reading when I jumped onto these here interwebs, back when I could manage the blogs I read in my browser’s Bookmarks.  While the bookmarks have been replaced by Google Reader, one thing that hasn’t changed is my admiration for Jenny.  She cooks.  She writes.  She takes stunning photos.  And she has a spirit that inspires.

I had the opportunity to meet Jenny last summer at a food blog conference.  It was a thrill to finally be able to meet her in person after being a fan of her blog for so long.  Successful, yet approachable, gracious and encouraging, I consider Jenny to be one of the leaders of this crazy tribe to which I belong.  She understands the power of food and community.

When I read her Puffy Hearts post last month, I knew it was a story that I wanted to include in the Food Memories series.  But what would Jenny say?  I’ve had people say no before but the only way anyone ever says yes is if I get over my fear of rejection and ask.  So I did, thinking that it would make a perfect post for Valentine’s Day.  And I was elated when she said yes.  Evidently, this was the post that The Universe wanted me to share with you on this day of love.

My thanks to Jenny for allowing me to share with you her memory of snow days, special pastries, and Shaun Cassidy.

Puffy Hearts and Rings appeared on Use Real Butter on 10 January 2011.  While I’ve done my best to capture the beauty of the Puffy Heart that came out of my kitchen, you really need to click that link and see them through Jenny’s lens.

Puffy Hearts and Rings

When I was a little kid growing up in Virginia, snow storms would catch me by surprise. The only way I knew anything was in the works was when Kris would stay up late tuning the radio to find out if school would be closed the next day. On those very rare snow days we would stay home playing games, running around the house like maniacs jumping off the stairs, building forts, watching television, lip syncing Shaun Cassidy while standing on top of the coffee table, and sledding down our steep driveway. I have a lot of good memories of Kris.

Living in Colorado, we can get snow as early as September and as late as May. It snows in our mountains in June and July too. Even though it is a common occurrence I still get excited – I just don’t lip sync Shaun Cassidy from the coffee table anymore (I have that very coffee table in our great room). These days I suit up and head out.

After we return from a ski – be it at a resort or in the backcountry – it’s Kaweah’s turn to play in the snow. When she was a wee pup in Ithaca, New York, we’d take her out into the snow and find the deepest drift to drop her in. She’d expend an enormous amount of energy bounding about in the snow and would sleep all night long at home. Yay! Now in her golden years, Kaweah doesn’t wander as far into the snow nor does she handle the cold as well as she did in her crazy years (years 0-10). She sleeps much of the day and all of the night.

As a kid, I never remembered being cold when I played in the snow. Maybe that’s because as kids, we’re crazy people? I would barely recognize myself today, grabbing a warm hat, gloves, boots, jacket, sunnies, chapstick, sunblock… While thinking back on those snow days of my youth, I grew nostalgic for my mom’s baking projects. She wasn’t much of a baker, but she did have a handful of sweets she could make for potlucks and parties. What I loved most were these things called puffy hearts and rings.

Have any of you heard of puffy hearts and rings? I just knew it was an involved process for my mom because I’d watch her patiently shape the dough into hearts and rings with two spoons as I bounced up and down singing “puffy hearts and rings!” in anticipation of my favorite treat. It was a super sticky dough and she only made them once or twice a year – usually around the holidays. I can close my eyes and recall the properties of that dough. I knew the taste and texture of the baked pastry, the icing, the almonds. The flavor was almonds. I am a complete sucker for almonds.

One morning I woke up and said to myself, “It’s cream puff dough.” I pieced together what the puffy hearts and rings were from memory and set about recreating them. Cream puff dough would most certainly be a sticky mess to shape into hearts and rings. I opted to pipe the dough into the desired shapes. Then there was the icing: confectioner’s sugar and milk or cream. Since I’m lactose intolerant, I used water instead. The flavor was most certainly almond extract. Then a little coloring – they were always pink hearts and green rings.

When the puffs were done baking and cooling, I iced each one and sprinkled slivered toasted almonds over the icing while it was still wet to make sure the almonds adhered. I bit into one. This is what I remembered – almond flavor, sweetness, the egginess of the soft dough. I liked it. I had Jeremy try one just to be sure that it wasn’t just me and my nostalgia that thought it tasted good. We have another fan and I have happily brought an old memory back to life.

Puffy Hearts and Rings

BAH Note: I scaled Jenny’s recipe down by half because I thought 2 dozen puffy hearts might be a little much to handle.  In hindsight, I wish I would have made more.  The puffs are tender and light while the frosting is the perfect balance of sugar and almond.  I got six very large hearts out of the dough and The Mistah and I polished them away in just a few hours.  While Jenny’s recipe has you mixing by hand, I entrusted the dough to my stand mixer.  You do what makes the most sense for you.

BAH Tip: If you’re artistically challenged, like I am, trace the outline of hearts in pencil on your parchment.  Then flip the parchment over and pipe the dough into the outlines.  When I went to decorate the hearts, instead of dipping them into the glaze, I filled a small sandwich bag with my frosting, cut one corner off and then piped away.  I started with an outline, let that set up for a few minutes, then went back and filled it in using a toothpick to carefully drag the frosting so that the entire outline was filled.

  • 4 oz (1/2 cup) butter
  • 8 oz (1 cup) water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsps water (or cream/milk)
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • food coloring (optional)
  • almond slivers, toasted (optional)

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat oven to 400°F.

Heat one cup of water  and the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat until butter is melted and the liquid is boiling. Remove the pan from heat and add the flour all at once. Stir until the dough forms a ball. Add eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition until the egg is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth and satiny.

Scoop the dough into a piping bag with a medium plain tip (about 1/2 inch in diameter). Pipe rings and hearts on the parchment with enough room for expansion (2 inches of space in between). Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden in color. Remove from baking sheets and let cool completely on cooling racks.

Mix the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of liquid, and almond extract in a medium bowl. Add food coloring as desired. I split mine in two batches and color one pink and the other light green.

When the puffs are cooled, dip them face-down into the icing or drizzle them with icing. While the icing is still wet (it dries very quickly here) sprinkle almond slivers over the icing and gently press them into the icing.

Makes about 2 dozen (depends on how big your puffs are).

{printable recipe}

Soup, South Beach Diet

Flashback Friday – FANtastic

by Wendi4 Comments on Flashback Friday – FANtastic

Flashback Friday

 

The following originally appeared on 9/2/08 at Exit 51.

FANtastic

Unofficially, summer is over.  Labor Day has come and gone and kids are back in school.  Soon enough, the leaves will start changing color and carpet our lawn as they fall from the trees.  We will shut off our A/C, open the windows wide, and enjoy crisp cool evenings.  Until then though, that A/C is running. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – FANtastic” →

Uncategorized

Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix

by Wendi20 Comments on Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix

Long ago there was a football team in Baltimore. And then there wasn’t. For a very long time. And people were bitter and angry. For a very long time.

There is irony in the tale of Baltimore’s football history. When our team was moved to another city, we the people became mightily indignant. How could he (the owner who still shall not be named) take the team, the franchise, the legend and lore and transplant that someplace else?  How could he? How DARE he?

Yes, we were angry for a very long time. Twelve years to be precise.

And then, and here’s where the irony comes in, Baltimore took another city’s team. We the conquered had become the conqueror. However, understanding the vitriol focused on the owner who still shall not be named, and the lawsuit that needed to be settled before he moved the team, Art Modell wisely chose the leave the identity and history of the Browns where it belonged, in Cleveland.

In 1996, the Ravens came to Baltimore. And the people once again had a team to cheer for. We’ve had winning years. We’ve had losing years. And we’ve had years we should have won but didn’t. This year it looked like we had a solid chance at another trip to the Super Bowl to go for a second Lombardy Trophy.

Hopeful optimism spread through the city. Fans donned their purple; the city was lit at night in hues of violet. And in what was to become the Raven’s final game of the season, I sat in front of the Tivo and watched the wheels come off the bus. The saving grace of the evening was the bottle of wine I was using to numb the excruciating pain of the second half in which they threw away their lead, and a enormous bowl of sweet and spicy snack mix I had whipped up to nibble on. Reaching for snack mix, or the bottle of wine, gave me something to do with my hands besides wring them in desperation as the minutes ticked away and the end of the season came into view.

I won’t lie. It was a painful loss. But out of the ashes of the 2010 Ravens season, Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix was born. It’s not quite the same thrill as having another Super Bowl win under our belts, but it’s better than nothing. We’ve had nothing.  And it tasted bitter and angry.

Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix

Inspired by My Morning Chocolate’s Adaptation of Cooking Light’s recipe.

BAH Note: I can’t eat popcorn or nuts so when Jen of MMC suggested substituting cereal, I knew I had to try this.  It’s sweet and salty and spicy…my perfect trifecta of flavors.  I initially thought this would make a great holiday hostess type gift packaged up in a nice big mason jar.  But learn from my experience.  Putting Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix in an airtight container is a sure recipe for soggy SSSM.  It needs to breathe.  Also, don’t be tempted to use the “butter” pretzels because they may be less expensive than plain old salted pretzels.  They will impart a fake, movie theater butter flavor to your mix.  And that’s just wrong.  Please remember that the spices can be used, or  not, in any combination.

  • 2 cups pretzel squares (see note above)
  • 2 cups each wheat, rice, and corn cereal squares (Chex or generic)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili spice mix (preferably Penzey’s Chili 9000)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • wee small dash of cayenne pepper

Line a half sheet pan with parchment or aluminum foil and set aside.  Combine the pretzels and cereal in a large bowl.  Use your hands to mix it well.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, salt, and spices.  Cook over a low flame until the butter and brown sugar is melted.  Taste for seasoning and add more sugar, spice, or salt as desired.

Once the flavor of the sauce is to your liking, increase the heat and bring to a boil.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly while the mixture bubbles furiously.  Carefully remove the pan from the heat and cool for 1 minute before adding the liquid to the cereal in several additions, stirring between each with a wood spoon or plastic spatula.  Remember, boiling sugar is molten hot.

Once the syrup has been mixed in to the cereal, spread the mixture into your prepared sheet pan and allow to cool for 5 minutes before digging in to the sweet spicy mix.

{printable recipe}

 

Side Dishes, South Beach Diet, Vegetables

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

by Wendi20 Comments on Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

 

image from http://www.istockphoto.com

I’m going to tell you a secret.  I have gotten very lax when it come to vegetables.  I know I should “Strive For Five” and all that but it is not happening.  It’s not that I don’t like vegetables.  Why just recently, I discovered that leeks are perfectly lovely and I’ve learned to love beets.  I think I just get tired of having the same vegetables the same way all the time.  And I can’t very well pretend that french fries represent the kind of vegetables that I should be consuming on a regular basis.

I want to be better.  But I think I need some help.  So tell me, how do you keep from getting stuck in the same old, same old vegetable rut?

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

Adapted from South Beach Quick and Easy

BAH Note: When I eat roasted cauliflower, I could almost swear I was actually snacking on fries.  I think it has to do with the oil and salt and the texture once the cauliflower is roasted.  It will never be as good as fries but it’s a compromise I can live with.

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Combine the cauliflower, oil, ancho chili powder, and salt in a medium bowl or directly on the prepared sheet pan.  Arrange into a single layer on the pan and roast for 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and well browned.

{printable recipe}

Random

Flashback Friday – Wheel Of Fortune

by Wendi4 Comments on Flashback Friday – Wheel Of Fortune

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 8/28/08 at Exit 51.

Wheel Of Fortune

After the (mis)adventures getting my pictures entered into the Maryland State Fair, my hope was that at least one of my entries would win a prize.  Yes, I thought some of my pictures were awesome.  But was my ‘awesome’ and the judges’ ‘awesome’ the same thing? Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Wheel Of Fortune” →

Dessert, Sweets

Cooking Light Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

by Wendi34 Comments on Cooking Light Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

It’s been about a decade since my last breakup.  And it was a doozy.  I found myself in a complete tailspin, totally disconnected from the idea that anything would ever be good again and overwhelmed by everyday life.  It was a long, lonely road; one that I’m glad moves farther behind me each and every day.

But the holidays left me with the nagging feeling that another breakup was coming.  My relationship with baked goods had kind of gotten rocky.  I had allowed myself to be wooed by the butter and sugar and all the promises of good times.  I chose to ignore the red flags that pleaded for my attention – the way the baking supplies took over the pantry, the subtle snugness of my jeans, the sugar crashes that wiped me out in the afternoons.  I told myself that there wasn’t a problem because I dreaded the idea of a breakup more than the newly gained pounds that were registering on the scale.

I’d like to say that I found the courage to do what had to be done and walk away from the relationship.  But I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t break up with baked goods.  It’s the bad boy that keeps asking for one more chance.  And I’m a sucker for it.

But instead of jumping back in head first, I’m trying to set some boundaries in the relationship.  No, I will not see you each and every day.  Some weekends we will hang out, enjoy each others company, and others we won’t.  You will not call me late at night and if you do, I will not respond.

I will want to.  But I won’t.

Cooking Light’s Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

BAH Note:  I am slowly whittling down the number of Cooking Light recipes that have been long neglected in my recipe folders.  According to my calculations, this one has been hounding me since 2006.  The folks at CL say that a serving is one cookie.  I say that’s a boundary that is just begging to be broken.

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment about 3 minutes or until well blended.  Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and egg and continue to mix for another 3 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and mix until just combined.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees and combine the turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape into approximately 48, 1 teaspoon balls.  Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar and place approximately 2 inches apart on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden on the bottom.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

{printable recipe}

South Beach Diet, Vegetables

Notes on a Recipe, Molly’s Spicy Pickled Carrots

by Wendi4 Comments on Notes on a Recipe, Molly’s Spicy Pickled Carrots

Prepped

The following originally appeared on 5/11/09 at Exit 51.

Notes on a Recipe – Molly’s Spicy Pickled Carrots

That Molly, she doesn’t mess around.  Those pickled carrots, they knocked my socks off.  First, because they were good.  Second, because they were HOT.  SFC thought they were just right but they were too spicy for me.  So depending on your tolerance, you might want to turn down the heat by reducing the red pepper flakes and maybe not cracking the black pepper corns.

Also, Molly’s basic brine is beautifully versatile.  After the carrots were safely tucked away in the fridge to do their thing, I cooked up a second batch for some asparagus.  Instead of red pepper flakes and thyme, I used fresh dill.  A quick taste hints at a slightly sweeter flavor with a more traditional tang.  Next time, I will wait and add the dill after the brine is off the heat to prevent some slight dill discoloration.  And instead of putting in whole bunches of dill, I will give it a rough chop.  Because having a big dill frond cling to your pickled asparagus is not good eating.

In case you missed the recipe, here it is.  I encourage you to mix things up and use vegetables and herbs and spices that you like.  Because, as I said to our guests as we devoured a plate full of pickled carrots and asparagus, this is ridiculously easy.

Molly’s Spicy Pickled Carrots

From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar, plus more for topping jars
  • 2 cups water, plus more for topping jars
  • 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 6 (5 to 6 inch) sprigs fresh thyme
  • 5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
  • 1 1/2 pounds small (finger sized) carrots, or standard sized carrots cut into sticks about 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long

Combine 1 1/2 cups vinegar, water, sugar, thyme, garlic, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, salt, and mustard seeds in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Add remaining 1/2 cup vinegar.

Put carrots in large heatproof bowl, pour warm brine over them. Cool to room temperature.

While the carrots cool, wash two quart sized canning jars and their lids in warm soapy water.

When carrots and brine are cooled, divide carrots evenly between jars, arranging them snugly.  Using your fingers and wide mouth canning jars makes this easier.  Divide the brine evenly between the jars.  The carrots should be completely covered by the brine.  If not, add a mixture of 2 parts vinegar and 1 part water to cover.

Seal firmly and refrigerate three days to a week.  The carrots take time to absorb the brine.

Soup, South Beach Diet

Flashback Friday – Oven Roasted

by WendiLeave a Comment on Flashback Friday – Oven Roasted

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 8/27/08 at Exit 51.

Oven Roasted

It would seem illogical to crank up the oven in the middle of summer.  But the application of intense heat can transform simple summer staples into oven roasted nirvana.  Got a bumper crop of tomatoes? Tired of gazapcho?  Break out the sheet pan and turn the oven on.  In one afternoon, you can work some magic of your own.  The oven does all the hard work, leaving you free to spend a few hours doing something you REALLY enjoy, not standing in front of a hot box.  And really, isn’t that delicious?

Roasting

Oven Roasted Tomato Soup

Adapted from The South Beach Diet

  • 2 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved
  • 1 onion, thickly sliced
  • 2 roasted red peppers (jarred is ok)
  • 1 can vegetable broth
  • sweet paprika (or smoked, if that’s your thing)
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Place onions and tomatoes (cut side up) on baking sheet.  Be sure not to crowd them on.  You want them to roast not steam.  Use a second pan if needed.  Drizzle cut tomatoes and onion with olive oil and season with kosher salt.

Roast until the tomatoes sink into themselves.  Start checking after 40 minutes. If they start to sink but also start to scorch, turn the heat off and let them sit in the oven with the door closed for about an hour.  Remove from oven and place in food processor.  Add one half cup vegetable broth and process until smooth.  Transfer mixture to medium sauce pan set over medium heat.  Meanwhile, place two roasted red peppers (discard liquid if using jarred peppers) in food processor and pulse till smooth.  Add red peppers to saucepan and stir to combine.  Add additional vegetable broth to reach a consistency you like.  Season to taste with paprika and balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy for lunch, dinner, or a quick snack.