Tag Archives: soup

Refrigerator Cook-II (The sequel)

10 Dec

Ok.  Here is another recipe from my pantry and refrigerator.   Super easy, delicious, and healthy.

Tomato Basil Soup

  • 2 T. butter
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 3  28 ounce cans plum tomatoes
  • 14 ounce can chicken broth
  • 4 ounce can V-8
  • 4 T. dried basil
  • 1 t. red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in skillet and add olive oil.  When bubbling and hot, add the onion and garlic.  Saute for 3-4 minutes.

add onions and garlic.

add onions and garlic.

Add can of chicken broth and let cook down for 5 minutes, stirring twice.  Add the cans of tomatoes, V-8, red pepper flakes, and 2 T. dried basil.  With medium heat under the pot, let the soup bubble.  Turn the heat down a bit, but allow the soup to continue to bubble for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Let the soup start to simmer and bubble.

Let the soup start to simmer and bubble.

Now that the soup has simmered and reduced, its time to mix the soup up.  This will make the consistency change from chunky to smooth and creamy.  I use a stick blender, but you can also use a blender.  Be very careful and mindful of the hot liquid that you are blending up.  Take it slow so it doesn’t splatter.

I use my stick blender for a million things. Making soup is certainly one of them

I use my stick blender for a million things. Making soup is certainly one of them

Take this opportunity to adjust your seasonings.  Add the remainder of the basil, or more to taste if you prefer.  Also, add salt and pepper to taste.  Let the soup simmer for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then serve!  It is an easy soup and made straight from things you already have on hand!  I garnish with croutons and fresh parmesan cheese.

Delish! Eat up!

Delish! Eat up!

I usually serve this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich or a tuna fish sandwich.  A glass of red wine doesn’t hurt either!  This is another one of my “refrigerator cook” creations…straight from the pantry.  As promised in my last blog, I will help you build your fridge and pantry so you too can pull things out and start creating!  I have a page attached that has a list for you to start your pantry building.  I will be adding to it and changing it, so take a peek at it every now and again.  Start having fun in the kitchen!

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Comfort Food (in summer??)

10 Jul

That’s right.  I started craving comfort food.  But that seems a little counterintuitive when it is 100 plus degrees outside.  The south is reeling from a blazing heat filled summer, yet I want some warm filling food.  Usually good summer meals for my family consist of grilled meats, lightly prepared vegetables, and cold salads.  For some reason, though, today I needed comfort food.  So that is what I made!

I started letting my taste buds run amok, listening to them with wild abandon! I needed some heat and some spice.  So I decided to make roasted red pepper soup.  I made the recipe up as I went along, and I must say, it was fabulous!  Let me share the recipe with you.

Amy’s Summer Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 clove garlic, minced

1 sweet onion (I used Vidalia) finely chopped

2 T olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

3-4 cups chicken stock

1 t. thyme

2 jars roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed and chopped  (my short cut!)

Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Heat olive oil and add onion and garlic over medium heat.  Stir and let brown a bit.  Add the white wine a little at a time. scraping up the garlic and onions.  After all the wine is added, cook down for 5 minutes over medium high heat.  Add the chicken stock, red peppers and seasonings.  Let cook for 30-40 minutes.  Use a stick mixer (also called an immersion blender), being careful of the hot liquid, to blend the mixture to a smooth consistency.  Turn heat to low.  This can be served this hot, warm, or chilled to use the next day.

I was pretty heavy handed with my black pepper and red pepper flakes.  It is easy to adjust the heat level of this soup.  It could also be cooled down for the palate by whisking in some cream, about 1 cup, toward the end of the cooking process.  The intensity of the roasted pepper flavor can also be easily increased by adding more roasted peppers.  And of course you can always roast your own peppers.  But I needed a short cut so I used jarred peppers.  Soup is so easy to make, and easily adjusted to match any desired flavors.

I made open faced tuna melt sandwiches on french bread to go with the soup.  We ate it hot, and the 4 teenagers gracing my dinner table gobbled this up.  Evidently I was not the only one needing a little comfort food!  Sometimes you just have to give into cravings.  Bon appetite!

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