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ROASTED GARLIC AND TOMATO SOUP

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I’ve missed blogging the past few months.  But sometimes life gets in the way.  And we’ve been stuck in what feels like an endless cycle of joy-sucking events — our beloved dog Jasper died after not eating for 16 days, 3 hospitalizations including one major surgery (and one to go) for long-standing complications of diverticulitis, not to mention record-breaking heat and drought.  Thankfully there have been a few bright spots — most notably an upcoming wedding and a new puppy.  But more on those in future posts.

One thing I learned in the course of these hospitalizations is that they give you a bag on admission:

They’ll tell you it’s for your personal belongings, but the truth is it’s for your modesty — yep, go ahead and place it in the bag along with your clothes and shoes.  Being an extremely modest person, this was something I had to come to grips with, as strangers came in my room by the boatload demanding to look at parts that haven’t seen light in decades.  So fun.

Keeping things simple, here is a modest recipe for Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup, which is best this time of year while tomatoes are still gloriously in season and bursting with flavor.  The recipe is based on one from Caprial Pence, who I used to watch on PBS many years ago. Unlike many tomato soups, it does not call for butter or cream, but it is the balsamic vinegar that really sets it apart from other tomato soups.  You could also serve it chilled, like a gazpacho, for a refreshing change.

 

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ROASTED GARLIC AND TOMATO SOUP
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 shallots, peeled
  • 2-3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored
  • 2 stems fresh rosemary
  • ½ bunch fresh thyme
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 14.5 cans chicken broth
  • 8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, optional (for serving)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place garlic, shallots, tomatoes, rosemary, and thyme in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to blacken.
  3. Place the roasted vegetables and herbs, along with any pan juices, in a large stock pot. Add balsamic vinegar and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until reduced by approximately ⅓. Discard rosemary and thyme.
  4. Puree the soup using a stick blender (or in batches in a food processor or blender). Strain soup, if desired, to remove any tough tomato skins.
  5. Return soup to pot, add basil, and simmer until heated through. Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese, if desired, just before serving.

 

Ready for the oven

Roasted goodness

Soup is good food

 

PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

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Recently I did some very good work on a response brief for an attorney I work with infrequently — only on “targeted” issues, as he puts it (i.e., hard stuff).  I did an excellent job and came up with a pretty solid defense.  He accepted my work without comment, revisions, or thanks.  The case settled shortly thereafter (my brief was important to the settlement process — a “priority”), but when I inquired about the details of the settlement, all he would tell me was that he “got it done.”  Twice.  Like Larry the Cable Guy and his “Git-R-Done” shtick.  As you can imagine, that did not sit well with me, although it did take care of a problem, in that I will not work for him again.  I have a very low tolerance for that kind of nonsense.

When it comes to dinner, sometimes you just have to “Git-R-Done.”  Inspired by the attorney who I will not work for again, this hearty pasta dish will git-r-done in no time.  The flavors remind me of the grilled peppers and sausages at the Manhattan street fairs that I used to frequent years ago.

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PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces penne pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 medium red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, sliced Into 2"-long strips
  • ¼ cup red wine
  • 18-ounces canned crushed tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook until the sausage is browned, breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and peppers to the sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until peppers begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the red wine to the pan and as it simmers, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for approximately five minutes. Add the cooked penne to the pan and stir to coat it with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve hot.

Getting saucy

A noodle without any sauce is just a noodist