James Boelter
06-09-2007, 09:24 PM
From: "The Short Cut Cook"
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6 (about 7 cups of soup)
Fixed for my sweetie last Thursday night when she had dental work done, It was a huge hit, and I scored major brownie points redeemable for valuable prizes and a matched set of luggage at a later date. Or maybe she'll just kiss me when her mouth feels better.
Dice the following:
3 medium yellow onions (approx 12 oz)
3 large cloves of garlic (roughly chopped is fine)
1 large rib of celery (1/4 cup or so). More is fine if you really like celery.
Sweat these in a sauce pan over medium heat with 2 TB of good tasting olive oil and 2 TB of canola oil for 5-6 minutes. I like to add kosher salt to the sweat at this point, but you may not.
Add: 1+1/2 28 oz cans of Italian plum tomatoes (diced) or, if you don't have access to them, Muir Glen Organic crushed tomatoes. (If you want a less rustic soup, use a food mill or sieve to strain out the seeds and skins). Quality ingredients make all the difference here, so spring for the good stuff.
Add: 12 oz of low-sodium chicken stock (a little less if you like your soup thicker, more if you don't)
1 TBs of sugar or so
Kosher or sea salt to taste (1 tsp does it for me)
Several grinds of fresh black pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then back off to a simmer for 10 minutes or so.
If you want a creamier, more refined soup, use your immersion blender to puree most of the ingredients right there in the saucepan. If you want a very refined soup, run it through a food mill again to strain out the particulate matter, but I like soup with some character to it. (Use a food mill at this point rather than a sieve, or else it will take forever).
Since your sweetie is hungry and this will serve as dinner, swirl in 3 TB butter (or Olive Oil) just before serving. Add chopped fresh chives to taste for garnish (or Lite House makes a dandy freeze-dried herb that looks great) and fresh bread cubes or croutons.A bit of fresh mint or basil would work, too.
It's OK if this sits for a bit; and the leftovers will actually taste better the next day. You'll never settle for Campbell's again! (And unfortunately, neither will your sweetie.)
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6 (about 7 cups of soup)
Fixed for my sweetie last Thursday night when she had dental work done, It was a huge hit, and I scored major brownie points redeemable for valuable prizes and a matched set of luggage at a later date. Or maybe she'll just kiss me when her mouth feels better.
Dice the following:
3 medium yellow onions (approx 12 oz)
3 large cloves of garlic (roughly chopped is fine)
1 large rib of celery (1/4 cup or so). More is fine if you really like celery.
Sweat these in a sauce pan over medium heat with 2 TB of good tasting olive oil and 2 TB of canola oil for 5-6 minutes. I like to add kosher salt to the sweat at this point, but you may not.
Add: 1+1/2 28 oz cans of Italian plum tomatoes (diced) or, if you don't have access to them, Muir Glen Organic crushed tomatoes. (If you want a less rustic soup, use a food mill or sieve to strain out the seeds and skins). Quality ingredients make all the difference here, so spring for the good stuff.
Add: 12 oz of low-sodium chicken stock (a little less if you like your soup thicker, more if you don't)
1 TBs of sugar or so
Kosher or sea salt to taste (1 tsp does it for me)
Several grinds of fresh black pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then back off to a simmer for 10 minutes or so.
If you want a creamier, more refined soup, use your immersion blender to puree most of the ingredients right there in the saucepan. If you want a very refined soup, run it through a food mill again to strain out the particulate matter, but I like soup with some character to it. (Use a food mill at this point rather than a sieve, or else it will take forever).
Since your sweetie is hungry and this will serve as dinner, swirl in 3 TB butter (or Olive Oil) just before serving. Add chopped fresh chives to taste for garnish (or Lite House makes a dandy freeze-dried herb that looks great) and fresh bread cubes or croutons.A bit of fresh mint or basil would work, too.
It's OK if this sits for a bit; and the leftovers will actually taste better the next day. You'll never settle for Campbell's again! (And unfortunately, neither will your sweetie.)