Tomato Basil Soup

In the late summer, nothing is better than a tomato fresh out of the garden.  They are so red and flavorful – I wish I could enjoy them all year long. It seems that during the winter months I must forget just exactly how good vine-ripened tomatoes are because each summer I am amazed at their beautiful deep red color. We are certainly enjoying our homegrown fresh tomatoes this season, but have also been discussing ways to preserve summery tomato goodness. I have a few whole tomatoes in a ziploc bag in the freezer, which I hope to use in soups or stews this winter. We also decided to prepare and freeze a tomato basil soup.

Tomato Basil Soup ingredients

Ingredients

• approx 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters depending on size
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups yellow onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock or water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a baking sheet, arrange the tomatoes in one layer. Drizzle tomatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil and then add salt and pepper. Gently mix on baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes.

Before Oven-Roasting

After Oven-Roasting - and they smell so good in between!

In a 6- or 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for approx 10 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to the consistency of your liking. Taste for seasonings.

Tomato Basil Soup - simmering

Tomato Basil Soup - after the immersion blender

This soup can be served hot or cold, with or without a splash of whole cream.  We enjoyed one small serving and then froze the remainder in three 3-cup containers. We are looking forward to enjoying the soup on cool fall nights over the next couple of months.

Ready to freeze

French Chicken in a Pot

Here it is – our long overdue first blog post! It seems that every time we cook a meal lately, it’s not until halfway through eating it that we remember our empty blog pages… We finally caught ourselves just in time as we headed into the kitchen today to make French Chicken in a Pot. Scott recently got a dutch oven for his birthday and we have been eager to try it out, and I just like saying “French Chicken in a Pot” so we gave it a shot. The original recipe, from America’s Test Kitchen, is pretty simple. Here is our version:

• 1 whole chicken, giblets removed, wings tucked under back
• salt & black pepper
• 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 shallots, chopped medium (original recipe called for 1 small onion)
• 1 celery stick, chopped medium
• 2 carrots, chopped medium (original recipe did not call for carrots)
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Ingredients, Chicken in a Pot

Chopped Veggies and our Homegrown Rosemary

Preheat oven to 250 degrees, with rack adjusted to lowest level. Rinse chicken and then pat dry before seasoning with salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat on stovetop. Add the chicken, breast side facing down, and scatter veggies and herbs around the chicken. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until breast is lightly browned. Flip chicken over (no small feat depending on the size of your bird – Scott used his grilling tongs!) and cook another 6-8 minutes. Remove dutch oven from heat. Place foil over the pot and then cover tightly with lid. Transfer to oven and cook until thermometer reads 160 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the breast and 175 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.

Browning the Chicken

Into the Oven!

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through a fine-mesh strainer into a fat separator. Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into a saucepan over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan to make an au jus sauce. Add lemon juice and corn starch to the jus and whisk together, letting the jus simmer for a few minutes. Serve up the chicken and coat with a little au jus at table.

The chicken...two hours later.

Serve with beverage of your choice

Overall, the French Chicken in a Pot turned out pretty tasty. We served with wild rice (made with a little chicken stock from the giblets) and sprinkled a few of the veggies on top (even though the original recipe said to discard them). The breast meat, which was not submerged in the cooking liquid, did not come out as tender and juicy as the rest of the bird. For next time, we will add just a bit more rosemary for extra flavor and aroma and attempt to keep the whole bird moist throughout the entire cooking time, perhaps flipping it after an hour.