Tomato Soup With A Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Photo: HardCider International

Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich go hand in hand anytime, but especially as we begin the fall season. Make your tomato soup from scratch, and you will never go back to eating can soup. Here's a fast and easy recipe:

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
32 ounces tomato juice
28 ounce can of either plum tomatoes, cut into chunks; or crushed tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes make an excellent tomato soup. Use what you have in stock.
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large (or 4 small) bouillon cubes - any flavor
1 cup leftover red wine (or port or sherry)
12  ounce can of evaporated milk (Yes, you can use 2% milk, or whole milk, or cream. The more fat, the creamier the soup.)

Season to taste: (No salt needed.) I use ground pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried parsley, dried rosemary, smoked paprika, a bay left, Worcestershire sauce and Herbes de Provence, about 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Fresh chopped basil when I have it.

Note: If you grow your own tomatoes (lucky you to have a sunny backyard!), you can simmer about 4 pounds of them (add a little water and salt and pepper) for about 1/2 hour. Let cool and puree in a blender. No fresh tomatoes? Canned tomatoes are an excellent choice too!

Directions:

1) Sauté the onion, celery and carrot in butter, or olive oil. When nearly tender, toss in minced garlic. Cook a few more minutes.

2) Pour in the tomato juice and canned plum tomatoes.

3) Stir in a tablespoon of sugar and the bouillon cubes.

4) Next add the red wine (port or sherry), followed by evaporated milk.

5) Season the soup to taste. Omit salt as bouillon cubes are salty.

6) Bring the soup to a boil. Cover with a lid. Simmer for about 5 minutes, lift the lip and stir it every few minutes, and you are ready to eat.

🍴 🍷 🍴 🍞 🍴 🧀 🍴

To raise money for charity, I once made grilled cheese sandwiches on a food truck. It was a fun day! I learned the chef's secret ingredient for achieving the perfect crust. And since it is an open secret, I will share it below.

Photo: The Today Show

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

Slices of sharp cheddar
2 slices of whole grain bread. Use whatever you like: whole wheat, rye, or multi-grain (You could make a grilled Swiss cheese on rye bread, if you wish.)
mayonnaise
butter

Directions:

1) Stuff 2 slices of bread with sliced sharp cheddar cheese.

2) Spread the outside of each piece of bread with a thin layer of mayonnaise, the food truck's secret ingredient.

3) Grill both sides in a lightly buttered pan (for extra flavor) until golden brown (or you could spread a pad of butter on the inside of the bread, next to the cheese. Works too!) The mayonnaise produces a golden brown crust. 

Cheesy, buttery, tangy goodness grilled to perfection! When a chill is in the air, warm tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich is delicious comfort food!


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Chicken Noodle Soup

Photo: iStock

Chicken noodle soup is sometimes called the ultimate comfort food. At home, it's usually made with leftover chicken, but making it fresh from scratch gives it an even better flavor. The following takes all of 30 minutes and you can use chicken breast or ground chicken, both are super tasty, and one of them will be on sale at the supermarket. Here's a super easy recipe:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

Choose one - Both are delicious: {a} 1 lb of white chicken breast; or {b} 1 lb of ground chicken

1 onion, chopped

4 celery stalks and leaves, chopped

2 - 3 large carrots, scraped and sliced

8 cups of water

2 large cubes of chicken bouillon (or 4 small cubes)

1 teaspoon of dried garlic (or 4 - 5 fresh garlic cloves, minced)

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon coriander

a shake of parsley

1 bay leaf 
5 ounces dried noodles - chooose one: flat egg; shells; or curly

Optional: Toss in 1/2 cup of frozen peas at the last minute of cooking.

Directions:

1) {a} If using chicken breast, pouch them in white wine and (if needed water) for 10 - 12 minutes and after they are cooked, dice into cubes.

{b} If using ground chicken, brown it in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss the chicken of choice in a stock pot or large saucepan.

2) Add the water and chicken bouillon.

3) Toss in the sliced and diced vegetables: onions, celery, and carrots.

4) Next add all the spices. If you use ground chicken, toss the garlic in as you brown it - searing gives the garlic extra flavor, but if you pouch chicken breast, just toss the garlic in the stock pot along with the cubed cooked chicken breast.

5) Once the vegetables are in the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

6) Finally add the dried noodles and simmer until they are al dente.

7) Toss in 1/2 cup of frozen peas at the last minute if you wish. The green looks lovely.

Chicken noodle soup is a later edition in my cooking repertoire, but after I ate canned soup of mostly broth without chunks of anything, I decided to stop buying canned chicken noodle soup and make my own. 

This chunky chicken noodle with vegetable soup is a light one-pot dinner. Start with cheese and crackers, and add grainy bread and a salad. Heck, make Emeril's Bloody Marys (recipe👇) to drink, or sip a glass of wine while preparing the soup. Enjoy!

 

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My Best Bean Soup

Photo: FineArtAmerica

As temperatures fall, do you eat more soup? I certainly do ... and as mentioned, I don't buy canned soups anymore. Homemade soup tastes much better. It's chunkier and you know exactly what's in it. Plus, you can freeze leftovers in 16 ounce containers for quick lunches, or dinners. Simply pop a single serving into the microwave.

Recently I made the best bean soup ever! Although I used pintos, other beans will do. Mix it up each time you make a batch. Use navy, pink, pinto, or whatever bean you like. Also, the ingredients can change slightly, depending on what's in your refrigerator and cupboard. Sometimes I'll throw in carrots or ham, but this time it was vegetarian. If you don't have the Cajun seasoning (click below for recipe) I put in my soup, then season to taste with black pepper and the spices you like. 

Here is my tasty recipe:

Pinto Bean Soup

Ingredients:
16 ounces dried beans
(Soak overnight in water according to the package.)
8 cups water
2 large (or 4 small bouillon cubes)
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
spices to taste: I use --
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried celery
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
a dash of nutmeg
a dash of dried rosemary
a dash of dried thyme
12 turns of the black pepper mill

optional: 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 cups ham, sausage or hot dogs, sliced (or leave it vegetarian)

Directions:
1. Throw all the above ingredients into a big pot. 
2. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat.
3. Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 - 3 hours. How easy, breezy!

I often make corn bread to eat with bean soup. However, last night I served my pinto bean soup with Virginia ham sandwiches on hearty whole grain bread and a mixed green salad.

Another quick pairing is Cheesy Garlic Toast: Lightly butter slices of whole grain bread. Sprinkle with dried garlic, onion powder and parsley, then top with a generous amount of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese. Place on a cookie sheet: Bake in the oven at 350 degree F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread is crispy and the cheese melted. If you have a whole loaf of unsliced bread, you can slice it in two ... lengthwise to get 2 long halves. Put the toppings on each of the loaf halves. Bake it on a cookie sheet until the bread is golden brown and the cheese bubbles (about 20-30 minutes), then cut the loaf halves into single portions. Either way works. Serve with your delicious soup. 

Bon Appetit!

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A Trip To The Japanese Grocery

Photo: Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

As we move into the nippy months of the year, I crave warm soup for dinner. New Yorkers eat out alone in restaurants all the time. I mostly don't unless I'm out of town. With a companion, I think of eating out as entertainment. Alone, I don't mind cooking dinner at home.

Miso soup (a food I 1st tasted eating out) is easy/breezy to make at home ... and for a fraction of the restaurant cost. So I keep a tub of miso paste in my refrigerator, along with dried seaweed and dried Daikon radish (an ingredient in many Japanese dishes). 

Scores of big supermarkets and health food stores carry miso paste. We have a convenient Japanese grocery in the neighborhood. 

Recently I bought:

Ryotei Aji Dashi Miso (paste)               $5.99
Sengirl Daikon (radish)                         $3.35
Tkon Cut wakame (seaweed)                $3.39
Akagi Joshu Akagi Soba noddles          $1.99
                                                             ________
                                                                  $14.62
A tub of miso paste makes lots of soup (about 45 - 50 servings), and it lasts a long time in the refrigerator. The dried seaweed and radish keep in a cupboard. At restaurants, a small bowl of miso costs $3.00, which totals $135 - $150 for the amount that one tub of miso paste makes. Wow, what a saving!

Miso Soup 

Directions:

For a serving of basic miso soup, combine about 2 tablespoons of miso paste to 2 cups of water. I taste the mixture for the right proportion. Increase the water or paste as needed.

Next, add any protein/vegetables/starchy ingredients you like:

Ingredients could include --

-- Tofu (cubed); leftover chicken or beef; seaweed; a handful of dried Daikon radish.
-- Other Vegetables: Often I toss in mixed frozen vegetables. You can also thinly slice and dice fresh carrots, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, snow peas or any root or leafy green vegetables you have on hand. Fresh vegetables you can saute in a pan first. Frozen vegetables I just microwave in a soup bowl with water first, then add the miso paste, dried seaweed, and dried radish during the last 2 minutes.
-- Sometimes I toss in cooked soba noodles (they are high in protein), sometimes I don't. Rice works too.
-- Season to taste: I like minced (or dried) garlic and fresh pepper. Ginger is another option.

As mentioned, I microwave one serving of miso (with ingredients) in a soup bowl. Large quantities can go into a saucepan to simmer on a stovetop.

From thought to bowl to table, preparation and simmering take about 10 minutes. !糖菓のappétit

Have you ever been introduced to a dish in a restaurant that you now make at home? 


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Lickety-Split Vegetable Beef Soup

Often I turn leftovers into new dishes, rather than eat the same meal twice.  An example: I cut leftover meatloaf into cubes, freeze them, than when I need a quick meal, I take out the frozen meatloaf, slide the cubes into fresh bell peppers and microwave until done.  Voilà ... baked stuffed peppers in about ten minutes.

Early this week I used leftover steak to made a hearty homemade soup.  It was about as fast and easy as opening a can of soup.

Lickety-Split Vegetable Beef Soup 

Ingredients:
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (Use what you have: whole or diced tomatoes work.)
28 ounces water

16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, corn, carrots and lima beans)

½ medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

10 oz steak, diced (I used top round steak, leftover from a meat and gravy dinner)

1 large bouillon cube (or 2 small) chicken, beef or any flavor

2 teaspoons garlic

½ - 1 teaspoon salt (I used smoked sea salt)

12 turns of the black pepper mill

dash of nutmeg

dash of oregano

dash of basil

dash of parsley

Directions:
Throw all ingredients into a soup pot and bring to a boil on the stovetop.  Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the flavors mingle, about 20 minutes. Serve.  Divide up what you don't eat and spoon into 16 ounce containers.  Freeze for future quick lunches and dinners.

If you don't have leftover beef, you can substitute lean sausage, ham, lowfat hotdogs, or tofu.  In lieu of vegetable beef, use a protein you like and have on hand.  If I have fresh turnups, I dice and add them to the soup.

There was a time, I ate both homemade and canned soups.  Lately, I don't like the taste of canned soups.  Although expensive, they look and taste watered down.  Either my palate has changed, or canned soaps (errh ... soups) have changed.  Homemade soup is so much better.  It's subtantial, delicious ... and cheap.  Bon appétit!

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Pasta e Fagioli

Photo: From America's Test Kitchen - not their recipe below, but it's what the soup resembled in the Time Inc cafeteria. It wasn't as tomato red as I sometimes see it elsewhere.

Years ago I discovered delicious Pasta e Fagioli at work in Time, Inc's cafeteria. I'd love to make it at home but never had a sure-fire recipe. Time's Pasta e Fagioli seemed to have bits of ham or Italian sausage in it, definitely not the ground beef used by a few cooks and closer to bean soup than tomato soup. Although I can't procure the exact recipe, I remember the taste and texture to this day. The following recipe comes close enough for now:

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

1 lb of spicy Italian sausage or Italian bacon (Ham or hot dogs work also, then spice to taste. Drop in a few red pepper flakes. Add some green Italian seasonings.)

2 medium onions, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 carrots, diced

1 garlic bulb, minced (or 2 teaspoons of dried garlic)

4 cups water

2 large chicken bouillon cubes (which contain salt, so don't add more until you taste it before serving.)

2-15-ounce cans of Northern white beans (Feel free to use pinto or pink beans, etc., if it's in the panty. It will taste good). 

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

2 cups macaroni (or similar smallish pasta)

Sprinkles of grated Parmesan cheese - Add a sprinkle when cooking the soup, then garnish with the cheese before serving the soup.

Optional: Olive olive if you need it to grill the meat and vegetables  (see step 1 below).

Directions:

1) In a stockpot, brown the sausage, bacon, (or ham, or hotdogs) as it brings out the flavor. Toss in the onions, celery, and carrots as the sausage is browning. Towards the end, add the fresh garlic if using it. 

2) Next add the water and chicken bouillon cubes. (You can substitute chicken stock and salt to taste if you wish. I rarely buy chicken stock, so use water and bouillon.)

3) Mash one can of beans only. Add both cans of beans and diced tomatoes into the pot.

4). Follow with the dried spices.

5) Finally add your pasta and bring to a boil for about 12 minutes until the noodles are al dante.

My leftovers for the week.

Don't forget to garnish with extra shakes of parmesan cheese. This soup is a balanced meal with your meat, vegetables, and starch in a delicious sauce. I was always delighted to go down to the cafe to see it on the day's menu. Buon Appetitio!

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Hearty Split Pea Soup And Cornbread For Meatless Mondays

Photo by EatMoreBalance.com

Recently I stopped buying canned soups.  As I said in previous posts, either my tastes have changed, or canned soups have changed.  I used to like them; now not so much.  These days I make a batch of homemade soup, eat a meal, then freeze the rest in 16 ounce containers to be nuked (i.e. microwaved) later for quick meals.  One of my favorite soups to prepare is hearty split pea.  Sometimes I make it with smoked ham, and sometimes I make it vegetarian.  Even without meat, you have a complete protein by pairing the soup with corn bread or Irish soda bread.  It's definitely a stick-to-your-ribs-square-meal.  Below are my recipes: 

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
16 ounce bag of dried split peas

8 cups water

1 large onion, diced

3 large carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small tomato, diced (if you have one, if not omit)

1 bay leaf

1 ½ double bouillon cubes, or 3 small cubes (contains salt, so don't add salt, separately)

1 tablespoon dried garlic

12 turns of the black pepper mill

a sprinkle of dried celery

a tiny sprinkle of red pepper flakes

a dash of Worcestershire sauce
a sprinkle of nutmeg
a sprinkle of parlsey flakes

Directions:
Throw all the ingredients into a stock pot on a stovetop, bringing it to a boil, cover with a lid, then lower the heat and simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

Golden Yellow Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow corn meal

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon sea salt (or smoked salt)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs, beaten

1 ½ cups buttermilk  You can substitute milk, Russian kefir, plain yogurt, or sour milk, whatever you have on hand will work.

Optional spice: 

12 turns of the black pepper mill

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

A sprinkle of garlic powder

A sprinkle of onion powder

Directions:
1. Put all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl; follow with the wet ingredients.
2. Mix with a folk.
3. Pour into an oiled cast iron skillet and cover with a lid.
4. Cook on the stove top until golden brown. Flip over and cook the 2nd side until golden brown. (Or you can bake in the oven about 30 minutes until golden brown.)  When done in the center, remove, let cool slightly. Cut and eat.

I like the idea of meatless Mondays for several reasons.  Many of us grew up eating too much meat. Several studies suggest eating less meat can reduce your risks of preventive illnesses like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Meatless Mondays also help reduce your carbon footprint.  It takes a lot more water and fossil fuel to raise livestock than to grow vegetables and grains. So going meatless one day a week is good for your health and the environment.  With so much hunger in the world, it's a painless and delicious way to make a tiny difference.

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Emeril's Virgin Or Bloody Mary

Photo: Liquor.com

Last winter I bought 4 large (48 ounce) cans of Sacramento Tomato juice with the intention of making tomato soup over the cold months. But the hookah smoker's fire knocked out the gas in our apartment building (for 5 months), so making soup didn't happen.

Now that I'm back home cooking again soup season is over. What to do with all the tomato juice?

Oh I know, make Emeril's Bloody Marys! Spring is brunch season, so what a refreshing way to drink tomato juice which is rich in vitamins A and C.

A Virgin Mary is a Bloody Mary without alcohol, so free free to enjoy the cocktail your way. No need to buy a mix. Perhaps Emeril's makes the best fresh mix in the country. Below is their recipe, which I have reduced to 4 servings.

Emeril's Bloody Mary Mix

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 

1/2 teaspoon of dried garlic powder (or mince fresh garlic)

1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce (Frank's, Louisiana or Tabasco), or to taste

1/2 teaspoon of dried celery powder

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional (aside for the original recipe): a sprinkle of dill if you have it - it's good too!

Vodka - 1 ounce per glass for a Bloody Mary

Directions:

1) Toss the ingredients one by one into a blender and mix until smooth.

2) Chill for at least 2 hours. Make it the night before to have ready for the next day's brunch and all the spices will marinade to perfection. 

Poor into 4 glasses over ice and add an ounce of vodka to each glass. Enough for 2 people because who are we kidding ... you're going to use a pitcher and pour Bloody Marys into tall glasses, aren't you?

I want to thank Emeril's New Orlean's restaurant for sharing their famous Bloody Mary Mix with the world. None better!

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Welcome A New Year: 2012

Practices I started in 2011 and will continue in 2012

This list is in no particular order and a bit uneven in significance:

1) Enjoy rich foods as a treat instead of a staple:  If I want to eat foods like cookies, biscuits and gravy, or french fries I have to make them myself.

2) Eat foods my grandparents would recognize as food.  [Thanks, Michael Pollan.]  For the most part, I've replaced boxed cereals with whole grains (such as oats, millet and quinoa) and canned soups with fresh made soup.  For convenience I buy canned whole tomatoes or beans, not tomato or bean soup, then make my own soup.  It's wickedly delicious and freezes well as single serves.

3) Wear the shoes and clothes already hanging in my closets before buying new things.

4) Use up scented soaps, lotions and personal care products before bringing more home.

5) Deciding not to spend money on storage containers.  The Container Store is very appealing, but even better: Either have a place for it, use the stuff, or give it away.

6) Not taking the people who sell fruit, newspapers, flowers, shine shoes and deliver your groceries, or mail, or pass out flyers for granted.  Realize that the folks who work at a fruit stand get up at 3 AM to buy their produce, plus stand outside in the cold, wind, or rain day-after-day earning their living.  Far from being faceless, these human beings have families and are pursuing the American dream.  Each worker is someone's son, father or brother.  Ever wonder what their lives are like over a 24-hour day?  You just may be their face of kindness.  Treat these workers with courtesy and respect.  Look them in the eye and smile.

A little bit of change matters.  No step in a positive or humane direction is too small.  

As Oprah remarked, "Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right."  And Benjamin Franklin said, "Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."  

Have a Healthy and Happy New Year everyone. Let's enjoy life!

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