Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque

As you know, over the weekend I made my Tex Mex Tuna Melt Panini. When I think of patty melts, I think of grilled cheese, and what goes better with grilled cheese than tomato soup.  I’m ashamed to admit this, but, until now, my version of tomato soup required 2 simple steps: opening a can and heating it. This time, I decided to get a little more adventurous and make my own. Actually, this recipe is not that much more difficult than my go-to version; it still requires opening up cans and heating, but the final result has that distinct “made with love” homemade taste. The inclusion of aromatic ingredients such as garlic, celery and onion add even more depth. Instead of using plain diced tomatoes, I chose fire-roasted. Fire-roasted tomatoes have that subtle smoky flavor that I thought would pair so well with Tex Mex. To give it a slightly thicker “bisque” texture, I added some tomato paste, flour and heavy cream. Heartier than a soup, yet not chunky like a chowder, because you blend the ingredients for a smooth finish. From start to end, this bisque was on the table in less than 30 minutes, proof that you can be enjoying a steaming bowl of hot soup in almost the same amount of time it takes to pop a pre-made one in the microwave. And the taste? There’s just no comparison. Soup is the best homemade meal anyone can make: feeds the body and nurtures the soul!

Note: I doubled the recipe, which would easily feed 8, so if you are looking for smaller “cup-size” portions, then cut the recipe in half. During the cooking process, I ended up transferring my bisque from a large saucepan to a Dutch oven, because it made more than I had originally planned on. But, that’s okay, soup never goes to waste in this house.Chop onion and celery. Mince garlic. Chop basil. Drain tomatoes.
 

In a large saucepan, melt 4 Tablespoons of butter. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables just start to brown, about 5 minutes. 

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir for 1 minute, or until flour is fully incorporated. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and basil. Increase heat to medium. Bring to a boil. Cover partially and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Transfer soup, in small batches, to a blender and puree until smooth. If you’ve had any success with an immersion blender, you can use that. You would think that being a kitchen gadget guru that I would own an immersion blender. Actually, I did, but after 2 disastrous attempts, I tossed it. Even on the lowest setting, my kitchen walls, counter and ceiling resembled a Jackson Pollock painting when I was done. Splatter everywhere. (Also, I was not comfortable with the steel blades, as all my cookware has a non-stick finish.) Needless to say, I quickly reverted back to my old stand blender. But, even with a stand blender, you still risk a kitchen nightmare if you try to overfill it. I strongly advise, filling the blender only half-way when pureeing (even if you have to blend in 4 batches, like I did).

 

Return the pureed soup to the saucepan. Add the heavy cream. Cook just until the soup is heated through. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Stir in the remaining butter.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with croutons and serve.

 
FIRE ROASTED TOMATO BISQUE
Source: Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Tablespoons butter, divided
• 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 cups chicken stock (or substitute low-sodium broth)
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons chopped basil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper (or substitute black pepper)
• Garlic or cheese croutons, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, melt 4 Tablespoons of butter. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic. Cover
    and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables just start to brown, about 5
    minutes.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir for 1 minute, or until flour
    is fully incorporated. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and basil. Increase heat to
    medium. Bring to a boil. Cover partially and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally,
    until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Transfer soup, in small batches, to a blender and puree until smooth. (Or, use an immersion blender,
    if you prefer.)
4. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan. Add the heavy cream. Cook just until the soup is heated
    through. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Stir in the remaining butter.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with croutons and serve.

Tex-Mex Corn Chowder

If you’re looking for a quick and easy soup to take the chill off, this one should hit the spot. Love corn chowder, but want something a little more unexpected? Serve it up Tex-Mex style. What I love most about this chowder is how versatile it is. Want more heat? Use a spicier picante sauce, or add some chili peppers. Want to make it a meal, rather than a side dish? Add some cooked chicken and serve with cornbread. You can even add black beans to make it even heartier. I made it without the additions, because I was serving it alongside a Southwest burrito, which already had those extra ingredients. (I’ll post that recipe tomorrow.) You can easily adapt this recipe to the crock pot. Combine everything except cream cheese and milk in the crock pot, cook for several hours, then add the cream cheese mixture and milk about 1 hour before ready to serve. This even freezes well, in case you want to make a double batch to serve at a later time. This recipe has it all:  ease in preparation, versatility, unexpected taste, creamy texture and a nice little kick. Don’t worry about the heat being too much for the kids. If you use mild picante sauce, the heat will be subtle enough for the little ones. With more snow expected in the forecast, this may just be the perfect week to serve up a bowl of this Tex-Mex Corn Chowder.

Too many onions in photo; 1 or 2 small onions will be ample

Chop onions.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, sauté onions in butter. You may want to cut back on the onions, as there is already quite a bit in the salsa. I ended up using 2 very small onions, but even 1 small would have sufficed. 

Stir in cornstarch, chili powder, and cumin. 

Add corn, picante sauce and chicken stock (or broth). Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Place cream cheese in a small bowl. Measure out about 1/2 cup of hot soup mixture and ladle over the cream cheese. 

Using a spoon (or fork), stir well to soften and blend. (You want to temper the cream cheese before adding to the soup, to avoid any unappetizing curdling.)

Add cream cheese mixture saucepan of soup. Next, add milk. Stir until well blended. If necessary, thicken more with a small mixture of cornstarch and milk. 

Heat over low heat, stirring often, until cheese is fully melted. Do not let mixture come to a boil. Serve immediately. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

TEX MEX CORN CHOWDER
Source: All Recipes
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, plus more if needed to thicken
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 package (16-ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed   
• 2 cups thick and chunky picante sauce, mild or medium
• 1 can (14.5-ounces) chicken broth, or 14 ounces of chicken stock
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup milk
• Sour cream, for garnish (optional)
• Cilantro, for garnish (optional)

   
DIRECTIONS.

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, sauté onions in butter. Stir in cornstarch, chili powder, and
    cumin. Add corn, picante sauce, and broth. Bring to boil; remove from heat.
2. Put cream cheese in small bowl. Gradually add 1/2 cup hot mixture to cream cheese. Stir until
    blended.
3. Add cream cheese mixture and milk to saucepan, stirring until well blended. If necessary, thicken
    more with a small mixture of cornstarch and milk. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until cheese
    is melted. Do not let mixture come to a boil. Serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro
    if desired.

Yield: 6 servings
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

New England Clam Chowder

There’s nothing I enjoy more on a cool autumn day than a hearty and warming bowl of New England Clam Chowder (or, as they say in Boston, “chowdah”). I don’t think it’s even possible to get a bad bowl of chowder in Boston. Maine, however, takes their chowder much more seriously. When New York introduced the tomato based Manhattan clam chowder in the 1930’s, Maine would have none of that. In 1939, a Maine representative actually introduced a bill to state legislature that would have made it “illegal” to add tomatoes to clam chowder. The bill didn’t pass, much to the dismay of clam chowder traditionalists in Maine. I have to admit, though, I probably would have protested, as well. I prefer my chowder without the tomatoes. This recipe for New England Clam Chowder is made entirely in the microwave. That’s the good news. The bad news is, if you want to double the batch, it won’t come out right. You have to repeat the procedure and make another batch. Believe it or not, I actually prepare 4 batches of it when I make it. Mike has it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. He loves it so much, after 2 days, there’s not a drop left in the house. So, I guess that’s testimony to how good this chowder is!

I actually found this recipe in the cookbook that came with my first carousel microwave oven (Sharp Carousel 1981). It sounded so easy, I knew I had to try it. Over the years, I adapted the recipe to refine the taste. Now it’s worthy of a true Boston chowder.  And, of course, I use my special “chowder spice blend.” If you read my post on Hearty Corn Chowder, then you are already familiar with this “magical” mix of spices that brings any chowder “over the top” in flavor.

For spice blend, combine all ingredients in resealable plastic bag. Crush with a rolling pin (to release the flavors of the dried herbs). Store in an air-tight container. You will only need about 1/2 teaspoon (per batch of chowder). Save the remainder for future chowders.

The original recipe called for chopping the raw bacon, putting in a large bowl, and microwaving, covered. I found two problems with this procedure. One, chopping the raw bacon is time consuming and tedious, especially if bacon is not at least partially frozen. Two, after you remove the bacon from the microwave, all the cut pieces mold together into a single clump in the bottom of the bowl, then you have to break it all apart. So, I cook the bacon slices on a microwave bacon cooker, reserving all the bacon drippings. (I know my bacon cooker is ancient. I just love it too much to part with it.) When cool, I crumble the bacon.

Peel and dice potatoes. Chop onions and mince garlic.

(This is where you will use the reserved bacon drippings.) In large bowl, combine reserved 1/3 cup of clam juice, diced potatoes, chopped onion, crumbled bacon and reserved bacon drippings. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH (100% power) until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring after half the cooking time. BE VERY CAREFUL when you lift the plastic wrap to stir. The steam can give you a nasty burn.

The original recipe also calls for part milk, part Half and Half. I use all Half and Half, because we prefer a thick chowder. (I did specify in recipe the portion that calls for milk, but if you also prefer a thicker chowder, substitute Half and Half for the milk.)

Blend in flour. Stir in 1-1/2 cups milk (or use Half and Half for a thicker chowder), salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon chowder spice blend. Microwave (uncovered) at HIGH (100% power) until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring at least 2 to 3 times during cooking time (stir more often if using Half and Half instead of milk).

Remove from microwave. Blend in 1 cup Half and Half. Stir in drained clams. Microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) until thickened and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes.

First batch is done. You can chow down, or transfer the chowder to a crockpot and keep warm on low setting until ready to serve.

 

This is 4 batches of chowder in crockpot.

Served in sourdough bread bowls, it’s the ultimate!

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Source: Adapted from Sharp Carousel Microwave Cookbook 1981
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Chowder Spice Blend:

• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 4 teaspoons oregano
• 4 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dill weed
• 4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 4 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 4 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons tarragon

Chowder:

• 4 slices bacon
• 3 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) chopped or minced clams, drained (reserve 1/3 cup liquid)
• 2 medium or large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups milk (or Half and Half, if thicker chowder preferred)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup Half and Half
• 1/2 teaspoon chowder spice blend                                        

DIRECTIONS:

Spice Blend Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in resealable plastic bag and crush with rolling pin (to bring out flavors of
    spices).  Add to chowder (1/2 teaspoon per batch of clam chowder).

Chowder Directions:
1. Put bacon on microwave bacon dish, cover with paper towel, and cook in microwave at HIGH (100%
    power) until bacon is crisp, 4-6 minutes, RESERVING ALL BACON FAT.   When cool, crumble bacon.
2. In large bowl, combine reserved 1/3 cup clam juice, potatoes, onion, crumbled bacon, and reserved
    bacon fat.  COVER with plastic wrap.  Microwave at HIGH (100%) until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10
    minutes, stirring after half the cooking time.
3. Blend in flour.  Stir in 1-1/2 cups milk (or Half and Half), salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon chowder spice
    blend.  Microwave (uncovered) at HIGH (100% power) until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring 2-3
    times during cooking time.

4. Blend in 1 cup Half-and-Half, stir in drained clams.  Microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) until
    thickened and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Servings: 6 (about 1/2 cup servings)

NOTE:  This makes one batch of chowder.  Doubling the recipe will not work. You can, however, make another batch then combine batches in crockpot to keep warm until ready to serve.