ROASTED TOMATO SOUP WITH BLT CROUTON

Last week was our final exam for our Culinary Skills 2 class. We had to make an appetizer and a main course, and the appetizer was a delicious Roasted Tomato soup with a BLT crouton. We have quite a bit of artistic liscense in our class, as we are always encouraged to find our own way to garnish the dish! I decided to make a mini bite sized BLT!

The tomato soup is really delicious, a great soup for the summer, and especially heading into the fall if you are still dying for that taste of summer. The soup is light, but rich at the same time. Finishing it off with a touch of cream and basil just makes it that more luxurious.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 plum tomatoes
50g tomato paste
1 onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot 
4 slices of bacon
60g of butter
60ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs of basil
For the mini BLT ( 20g of iceberg lettuce, 2 slices white bread + some bacon and slice of tomato)
1 L chicken stock
1/4 cream (optional)
Salt and pepper

Method:
1.    Roast tomatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes
2.    In a pan, add butter and oil and sauté bacon, mirepoix (celery, onion, carrot) and garlic puree until lightly browned
3.    Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and cover with chicken stock and let simmer for 45-1 hour
4.    Blend the soup, and strain
5.    Return to stove and keep warm
6.    Chiffonade basil
7.    Add basil and cream into soup
8.    Adjust seasoning and serve warm
9.    Shape crouton and fry in butter until golden brown
10.   Assemble mini BLT on skewer

ENGLISH ONION SOUP BY JAMIE

You must think that all I do is post about Jamie Oliver, and I apologize for that, but it's his kind of cooking that really generally does inspire me; rustic, family, simple, beautiful! So I have another one to add to the books this week. When I was watching Jamie at Home during our silly spring snowstorm yesterday he was making French Onion Soup. I have never been more inspired to get off the couch, to the grocery store and then to start cooking. It's all I wanted, perfect comfort food for a blizzardy day.

A word to the wise about this soup, it is necessary to caramelize your onions, which means it will take over an HOUR at a low temperature! So for you speedy cookers, this is not the recipe for you. Luckily I wasn't going anywhere and I had plenty of time to spare. Since I made such a big batch, mine actually took about two hours! The wonders of food...

Jamie's description of the dish is quite cute and funny so I thought I would add it in too!

Jamie's English Onion Soup
Total time: about 2:30 (or less depending on your onions!)
Servings: 8 generous portions

"There's something so incredibly humble about onion soup. It's absolutely one of my favorites but unfortunately I only ever get to make it in the restaurant or for myself as the missus thinks she's allergic to onions. (She's not, because I whiz them up into loads of dishes without her knowing!)
If you have the opportunity, get hold of as many different types of onion for this soup as you can - you need about 2 pounds in total. Sweat them gently and you'll be amazed at all the flavors going on"

Ingredients:
- Good knob of butter
- Olive oil
- Handful fresh sage leaves, 8 leaves reserved for garnish ( I also added about 4 sprigs of thyme in as well, because I love the flavour and its perfect with this soup!)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 large red onions (or 5 small red onions), peeled and sliced
- 3 large white onions, peeled and sliced
- 3  shallots, peeled and sliced
- 11 ounces leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced (I just did one bunch)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
- 8 slices good-quality stale bread, 3/4-inch thick (I just used a white French baguette and toasted it for the stale effect)
- 7 ounces freshly grated Cheddar
- Worcestershire sauce

Directions
- Put the butter, 2 glugs of olive oil, the sage and garlic into a heavy bottomed, nonstick pan. Stir everything round and add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, without coloring the vegetables too much. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes, the onions will become soft and golden. Stir occasionally so that nothing catches on the bottom. Having the patience to cook the onions slowly, slowly, gives you an incredible sweetness and an awesome flavor, so don't be tempted to speed this up.
- When your onions and leeks are lovely and silky, add the stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can skim any fat off the surface if you like, but I prefer to leave it because it adds good flavor.

- Preheat the oven or broiler to maximum. Toast your bread on both sides. Correct the seasoning of the soup. When it's perfect, ladle it into individual heatproof serving bowls and place them on a baking sheet. Tear toasted bread over each bowl to t like a lid. Feel free to push and dunk the bread into the soup a bit. Sprinkle with some grated Cheddar and drizzle over a little Worcestershire sauce.
Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place 1 on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking sheet into the preheated oven or under the broiler to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the baking sheet and carry it to the table. Enjoy.

photo credit: my own

PARSNIPS

A winter vegetable I just can't get enough of right now is the PARSNIP! A root vegetable similar to a carrot yet paler and sweeter. Prior to the staple potato the parsnip was actually the main source of starch in diets as they had a long storage life, a sweet flavour and nutritional value. Parsnips grew in Europe and in Roman times parsnips were believed to be an aphrodisiac and a luxury item for the aristocracy. The Europeans brought parsnips to the United States in the 16th century, but to this day they are still not as popular as the carrot - although they are truly superb.

Interestingly, parsnips are NOT grown in warm clients, as frost is actually what helps develop their flavour - the cold converts the starch to sugar, sweetening the parsnip and mellowing the flavour.

My favourite ways to enjoy parsnips are either roasted or in a soup! Parsnip soup is one of my ultimate favourites!

Try Jamie Oliver's Spicy Parsnip Soup!

Ingredients: Serves 4
- olive oil
- knob of butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 6 parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
- 500ml milk
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 fresh red chili, deseeded and finely sliced
- optional: a handful of fresh coriander leaves
- crusty bread, to serve

Directions
- Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and garam masala. Gently fry for around 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet.
- Drop in the chopped parsnip and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours. Pour in the milk and stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.
- After half an hour, check that the parsnips are cooked by sticking a knife in. If you’re happy, remove them from the heat and carefully whiz up using a hand blender or liquidizer. Taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper.
- Serve with a sprinkling of sliced red chili, a few coriander leaves if you like, and a good chunk of crusty bread.
- Tip: Use coconut milk instead of regular milk for a twist.

To roast parsnips cover peeled and sliced parsnips with oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until they turn golden brown with the roasted look!

photo credit: jamie oliver & google images

CORN AND SHRIMP CHOWDER

Last night – while home sick I was lucky enough to have one of my friends bring over some homemade soul-food type chowder. And not a rich creamy calorie filled soup, but a health alternative to the classically fat chowders.
Corn and Shrimp Chowder by Jennifer Iserloh “Source-Secrets of a Skinny Chef.”

A healthy way to make chowder. Shrimp and corn go naturally together as they both have sweet mild flavours. Corn is necessary in any type of chowder and the shrimp provides the “meat” to the soup – making it into more of a dinner dish.

CORN AND SHRIMP CHOWDER

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 slices turkey bacon, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne powder
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 32 ounce carton or can reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth
- 3 ears of corn kernels removed, or 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
- ¼ cup half-and-half
- 1 found frozen shrimp, defrosted and peeled
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (if you would like a bit more creamier of a soup)

Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the bacon, onions, celery, carrots, garlic powder, cayenne and black pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes, until the onions and celery begin to soften.
- Add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
- Cook 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
- Add the corn kernels, half and half, cream cheese and shrimp.
- Simmer an additional 5 minuets until the corn is tender and the shrimp is cooked through.
- Serve immediately

Serve 8

Thank you Lauren!!
photo credit: skinnychef.ca

FALL PUMPKIN-CORN SOUP

The LCBO Magazine has done it again! Last night my mom and I whipped up two fantastic recipes from their Fall 2010 edition. The first is the fall pumpkin-corn soup and the second, gnocchi with rapini, pancetta & tomatoes.

Coming off a summer veggies high, I am not quite ready to give up my favourites - like corn. Local Ontario corn is where it's at, and this recipe allows for even more cooking with the delicious sweet corn but with a fall twist. This soup is so warm and comforting, perfect for an autumn night. It has a nice bit of heat to it with the cumin and chili!


FALL PUMPKIN-CORN SOUP

Ingredients:
- 8 ears of corn, shucked or 4 cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp seeded and minced fresh hot chili (chili flakes will work as well)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 4 cups diced, peeled, seeded pumpkin
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp finely rated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
- With a sturdy serrated knife, cut kernels from ears of corn. Set corn kernels aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes or until onion is softened but not brown.
- Add garlic, ginger, chili and cumin; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add pumpkin to pot, stirring to coat with onion mixture.
- Add stock and half of corn kernels. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes until pumpkin is very tender.
- In a blender, or hand held mixer, blend soup in batches until smooth
- Stir in remained corn kernels.
- Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or so until corn kernels are tender.
- Stir in lemon zest, juice and cilantro.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a sprig of cilantro and a few corn kernels.

Serves 6 - 8

ENJOY!


photo credits: my own

GAZPACHO

Sorry for the week hiatus! I have been away in Mexico ....but come back with some fabulous new finds!

Gazpacho - an old favourite, one that I had forgotten about but was reintroduced to in Mexico,  I think I ate it at nearly every meal for a week, I just couldn't get enough! Gazpacho is a tomato based, raw vegetable cold Spanish soup - originating in the region of Andalucia. This soup is so refreshing in the heat and is perfect for the summer. Light and refreshing as it combines delicious vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, onion, peppers and garlic. The part that I love about Gazpacho is the it combines a silky soup with chunky vegetables. Not only is the soup first blended smooth, but tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and peppers are finely diced and served alongside the Gazpacho. You can put in as many diced vegetables as you like - often croutons are also another garnish that you can toss in!

Mario Batali might as well be Spanish considering his love for Spain so I have found his recipe for Gazpacho to share with you...

Ingredients:

Yield: 6 servings

- 5 very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, quartered-plus 1 cut into 1/4 inch dice, set aside
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled, quartered- plus 1 cut into 1/4 inch dice, set aside
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, quartered- plus 1 cut into 1/4 inch dice, set aside
- 2 small jalapenos, seeded and stemmed (be careful not to touch your face or eyes when handling hot peppers or else your eyes will be burn!)
- 1 small red onion, peeled, quartered-plus 1 cut into 1/4 inch dice, set aside
- 2 slices day old white bread
- 3 bread slices cut into 1/2 inch croutons
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
- 1 cups ice
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions

- Toast croutons in extra virgin olive oil in a pan till deep golden brown.
- Peel the cucumber and stem and seed the peppers.
- Tear bread into pieces.
- Place vegetables, bread, water, vinegar, oil and ice into a mixer and blend
- Blend for 15-20 seconds, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Pour soup into a pitcher, cover and refrigerate until very cold
- Place garnishes in small bowls and refrigerate as well
- When ready to enjoy, stir well with a spoon.
- Serve in shallow bowls with the garnish bowls on the side and drizzle each serving with a little more Spanish extra virgin olive oil

BON APPETIT! 


photo credits: pinkbites blog & google images

GOOP

GOOP is Gwyneth Paltrow's website. One of her sections is called MAKE and focuses on culinary delights, her website is one of my favourites and in my inspiration list. This weeks email had a delicious recipe featuring spring favourites - asparagus. Here is their recipe for asparagus soup - a delicious spring soup, light and refreshing! It can be served cold or warm, it is a wonderfully versatile soup.

Asparagus Soup: 

Ingredients
- 1.2 lbs. bunch Asparagus (reserve the tip)
- 1 small onion peeled
- 1 clove
- 1 carrot peeled
- 8 oz. crème fraiche
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Rinse the asparagus, cut and discard the end of the spear
- Remove the asparagus tip and reserve
- Cut the stalk of each asparagus stalk into irregular pieces
- Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a soup pot add the asparagus, the onion studded with a clove, and the peeled carrot, simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until asparagus are really tender
- Bring a separate small pot to boil, add the asparagus tips and cook for approximately 4 minutes (Don’t overcook, watch the color, they should be bright green, and crunchy)
- When the tips are ready, rinse immediately under cold running water and reserve
- Separate onion and carrot from broth and discard. Put the broth and cooked asparagus stalks in a blender and process until smooth
- Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, then put it back in the soup pot and simmer
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the processed stalks and slowly add the heavy cream
- Add the mixture to the soup and stir with a wooden spoon until the soup takes on the consistency of heavy cream
- Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste
- Put the soup in a bowl or plate and garnish with two or three asparagus tips
- Soup is good hot or cold depending of the weather

photo credit: goop.com & google images

Another Soup...

I know, another soup - but I am hooked! Tonight I made an onion based parsnip and celery soup. It was delectable. These soups I am making are so healthy and refreshing - I highly recommend giving them a whirl. The best part is - they are made out of everything I have just lying around in the fridge!

Parsnip and Celery Soup

Ingredients

- 3 celery stalks
- 2 parsnips
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 box of chicken stock
- 1/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp butter

Directions:

- Peel onion and finely dice
- Peel garlic and chop each clove in half
- Peel parsnips and cut into thin cubes
- Wash celery, the chop into small pieces

- In a pot on medium high heat melt butter and add onion and garlic
- Let onion soften until translucent
- Add celery and parsnip
- Add chicken stock
- Switch to high heat and let boil for 20 minutes
- When celery and parsnip are tender, blend the soup in a blender
- Return soup to pot and add milk
- Season with salt and pepper

(I know it doesn't look like much - but trust me it is delicious!)

- Serve hot (optional: pop a few croutons on the top for taste and decoration!)

Homemade Squash Soup

I love meals that are just thrown together from searching through your fridge! Today I come home with no idea what to make for dinner. I found some acorn squash, some white onion and celery. What better to make then a squash soup. It turned out perfect - such a delicious soup for a chilly night. A little hint of cinnamon was the final and perfect touch. And since acorn squash have seeds I toasted them up with a lil' salt and cinnamon. Deeeeelicious!

For those of you wanting to try out the RECIPE here it is, it is SO simple!

Ingredients:
- 3 acorn squash
- 1/2 white onion
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 cups chicken stock

Directions:  
- Cut 3 acorn squash in half, remove seeds and cook in microwave for 10 minutes
- Cut one half white onion and three celery stalks
- Put onion and celery stalks (like a mirepoix but minus the carrots) in a deep pot on medium heat with 2 tbsp of butter and some salt and pepper
- Let soften for about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and soft
- Take the cooled squash and spoon into pot of onions and celery
- Add roughly 2 cups of chicken stock
- Add 2 tbsp of cinnamon
- Add 1 tbsp honey
- Adjust heat to medium-high heat and let come to boil, until the squash is soft and tender

With a hand held mixer, blend the ingredients together right in the pot and season with some salt and pepper! Voila ! Squash Soup! (To make a richer soup, add about 1/3 cup heavy cream)