Soup's On

I had some errands to run in Westland, so I went to the Newburgh Grille for lunch. Instead of my usual cup of soup of the day and a mini-Greek salad, I got one of their specials: meatloaf, with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. Now, I’ve had much better meatloaf and mashed potatoes but it was good and filling.

Back home after work, I went out and took some photos of the black walnuts all over the place (except where my tires crush them). Then I went back inside and took pictures of my new shelves. It was another nice, warm sunny day here, BTW.

I used the spackling compound to fill in the holes I’d made looking for the studs to support my new handrail.

I started dinner around 7:00 PM. Tonight, I am making tomato soup. No, not tomato soup from a Campbell’s can, but tomato soup made with real tomatoes. It’s a Chuck Hughes recipe and here’s what I did.

I heated about two tablespoons of olive oil in my Dutch oven over medium heat. I threw in one chopped medium onion and cooked them until they were translucent, (about five minutes). Note: the recipe called for putting in both the onion and two cloves of minced garlic at the same time. But, I’ve burned enough garlic to be wary. So I added the garlic after the onions were ready and cooked it for about a minute more.

Next, I put in twelve large tomatoes (I used the vine ripened ones) that I’d quartered and two tablespoons of brown sugar (to balance the acidity). I let that cook for about five minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Then I added 1/2 cup water, four sprigs of fresh thyme and a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind from my freezer. The rind is optional, but I always save them and find they bring a real depth of flavor to soups and stews. I let that cook for about 25 minutes.

I discarded the rind and the thyme stems. Then I pureed it using my stick blender (or you could use a food processor or, God forbid, a blender) until smooth. I strained the mixture through a fine sieve set over another pan, working the stuff in the sieve with a wooden spoon. When it stopped dripping, I threw the remaining gunk in the trash.

I stirred in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and two tablespoons of butter. I tasted it and seasoned it with salt and fresh ground pepper accordingly.

I ladled out my first bowl and served it with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and some chopped fresh chives from my garden.

I had originally planned on making a grilled cheese sandwich to go along with the soup. But the soup tasted so good I had another bowl, instead. I put the rest in a container and into the freezer for some winter’s day.

I watched TV and/or read (depending on what was on TV, you see) until 11:15 PM and then I went to bed.