Bread and Soup


Roasted Tomato Soup and "Quick" Cheese Bread

Normally I am the sort of cook who thinks that meal preparation should take no longer than the time necessary to devour the items prepared. I shouldn't have to start dinner more than 30 minutes before we sit down to eat, and if I can throw it all in the crockpot in the morning while I'm making breakfast and packing lunches, better yet. But occasionally I take a wild notion to actually cook, and this past week was one of those times. I guess I watched too much Food Network over the holiday break.

So I looked up recipes on websites, purchased exotic (for me) ingredients at the supermarket, and spent some serious quantity, if not quality, time with my stove. Even though the recipes list preparation times I always added a half-hour for my combination of first-time-edness and poor cooking skills, and boy did I need it.

I won't trouble you with the chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce, although they were delicious. Find yourself a mama-y-papa Mexican restaurant and order them there. They'll be just as good if not better, and it won't take you 90 - 120 minutes to sit down to eat. And you probably won't smell like a Mexican restaurant the rest of the day either, although there are worse things to smell like.

What I will give you is Roasted Tomato-Basil soup and Quick Bacon-Gruyere Cheese bread. The soup is from Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello on Food Network, the bread from America's Test Kitchens on PBS -- copyrights apply.

Don't be misled by the "Quick" -- that just means it's not a yeast bread. Because it is very dense it bakes for 45 minutes and needs to cool that long again before you can slice it. The tomatoes also need an hour between roasting and cooling, so neither of these falls into the dinner-in-30-minutes category.

As usual original recipe first, comments and changes following.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes

12 large (about 4 pounds) tomatoes, stemmed and quartered
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
12 large garlic cloves, peeled
salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 c. chopped yellow onions
2 c. lightly-packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few for garnish
2 c. cold water

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the quartered tomatoes, 1/4 c. olive oil, vinegar, garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture on a non-reactive baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes until very dark in spots, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a bit.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining 1/4 c. oil, onions, and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the 2 c. basil leaves and saute for about 1 minute.

Add the roasted tomatoes and 2 c. water to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree the tomato mixture in a blender. Start the motor at a low speed and increase gradually. Alternatively, use an immersion blender in the pot. The mixture should be very smooth, about 8 c. worth. The soup can be refrigerated at this point. When ready to serve, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Garnish w/ torn basil leaves.

Camera observes: I used 4 lbs. Roma tomatoes. Since you're roasting, you can use whatever's cheap. Smaller tomatoes mean less roasting time. I also just bought a head of garlic. It might not have been exactly 12 cloves, but it was very close. Blending warm stuff is tricky -- do it in batches, never fill the blender more than 1/3 full, and keep a hand and a towel on the lid. Soup will be thick and a lighter red than stuff you'd buy off the shelf. Hubby said it was too basil-ly, but he's anti-herb.

Quick Cheese Bread with Bacon, Onion, and Gruyere
Prep time: 15 - 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 - 50 minutes
Cool time: 45 minutes

Notes: If using Asiago, use a mild one that yields to pressure when pressed. Aged asiago that is as firm as Parmesan is too sharp for this bread. If, when testing for doneness, the toothpick comes out gooey, try again -- you may have hit a pocket of melted cheese. The texture of the bread improves as it cools, resist the urge to slice the loaf while piping hot. Leftover bread is excellent toasted, but use a toaster oven or a regular oven at 425-degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes, not a conventional toaster.

Makes one 9" x 5" loaf

3 oz. (approx. 1 c.) shredded Parmesan
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, minced (about 1/2 c.)
3 c. (15 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup) or mild Asiago crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 c. milk
1 large egg, beaten slightly
3/4 c. sour cream

Adjust oven rack to middle position, heat oven to 350-degrees F. Spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 c. Parmesan evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Fry bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels and pour off all but 3 tbsp. fat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula mix in Gruyere, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. Add bacon and onion mixture and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, wisk together milk, egg, and sour cream. Using spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry until just combined (batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan, spread to sides of pan and level surface with spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 c. Parmesan evenly over surface.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes, remove loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Slice and serve.

Camera observes: I think my cheese cubes were probably a little closer to 1/4 " than 1/2". They were still large enough to make little pockets of gooey cheesy goodness. I didn't have cayenne, and I don't think I missed it. This is a very heavy bread; do not serve it with anything more substantial than a soup or salad. A leftover slice and a bit of fruit salad would be a complete breakfast.

Posted: Mon - January 16, 2006 at 10:13 PM   Home         | | View Technorati reactions

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