Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

Oh the joy of discovering excellent recipes!  My heart is full with happiness and my stomach cannot wait to taste this nurturing soup again.  I wish I could claim full credit, but I cannot.  This is the fine work of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen.  The original recipe is called Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup.

It serves 6 to 8, easy.  I enjoyed it twice in one day last weekend, it's so smooth and satisfying. It's called creamless AND creamy because the recipe does not call for heavy cream or half-n-half.  The creamy texture comes from using 3 slices of sandwich bread.  I kid you not, it's the secret ingredient to its success.  My family didn't have a clue; they didn't even ask.  They just slurped it down as they groaned over their bowls.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
• 3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step.

The original recipe is called Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup, published September 1, 2008, from Cook's Illustrated.com.

MY COOKING NOTES:

• I wanted to use my very favorite canned tomatoes, San Marzano whole plum tomatoes.  They're sweet with the right level of acidity for soups and sauces.  They cost more than the average can of whole tomatoes, but they're worth it when I need a tomato sauce to stand alone.  I use the other brand tomatoes for chilis and salsas.  Taste them for yourself and you'll know where I'm coming from.
• I saved the pinch of red pepper flakes as the last seasoning before serving the grown ups.  I was afraid the heat would be noticeable to the kiddos.  I wanted them to love this soup and didn't need reasons for them not to like it.
• I skipped the brandy.  No one in my family has ever tasted it.  I don't keep it on hand.  So, I figured no one would know it was missing. Right?
• I didn't have onion chives, but I did have garlic chives from the herb garden.  They were perfect.
• I used my immersion blender to puree the tomato-bread mixture.  Then I passed it through a mesh strainer before adding the broth.  This removed the seeds and stray bits of tomato skins, along with taking the soup to the next smoothest texture.  It makes all the big difference in making the soup feel creamy in the mouth.  It's worth it when I take the extra 3 minutes to strain the soup.
• Next time, I'm doubling the recipe so I can freeze servings for make-ahead-lunches.  Since there's no dairy involved, this recipe is sure to hold up for future meals.

Creamy, CHEESY Broccoli Rice Recipe

This cheesy broccoli and rice recipe was a BIG HIT with the family.  It made a perfect side to a batch of crispy, chicken.  It, also, made a filling vegetarian lunch the next day.  I thought it was even better the next day.
Broccoli rice recipes I've tried in the past left me with overcooked broccoli and dried out rice.  I like my broccoli to have a bite and I want the rice to blend with the creamy cheese sauce that holds it all together.

Well, I was so impressed with the creaminess of the Smoked Gouda and Cheddar Mac with Spinach recipe, I thought I'd follow it again to make my own creamy, cheesy broccoli rice recipe. The results yielded a dish full of broccoli goodness and soul satisfying creaminess.

Precooking the long grain rice gave me control to have a moist, fluffy and flavorful rice.  Blanching the broccoli ensured I would have the right bite to my vegetable.  Then baking it off in the oven for 20 minutes brought all the ingredients together under a topping of sharp cheddar cheese.  Mmmmm...

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

First, fill a large saucepan with water, set to boil over medium-high heat for blanching the broccoli.
Then, get the rice started.

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 2 cups hot water

In a medium saucepan, lightly brown rice and sliced garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat; constantly stirring.  Add hot water, stir; cover with lid.  Reduce heat to low and cook 12 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

PREHEAT OVEN 400ºF. Grease 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan.

While you're waiting for the rice to absorb the water,
blanch the broccoli.

• 3 small to medium crowns of broccoli, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

Blanch 4 minutes in boiling water.  Use a slotted spoon to lift out broccoli to a strainer set over a bowl to drain.  Allow broccoli to cool enough to handle.  Roughly chop into small pieces about 3/4 to 1-inch in size. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Bring it all together.

• 2 1/2 cups cooked rice from above
• 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
• 1 (12 ounce) can CARNATION Evaporated Milk
• 2 tablespoons  yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Measure out the rice. (You'll have leftover rice.)

In the mixing bowl with the broccoli, add measured rice, 1 cup cheddar, all the jack cheese, evaporated milk, onion, salt and pepper.  Transfer to 8-inch pan.  Top with remaining cheddar.
Bake 20 minutes.

Great Lunch Ideas You Can Take To Work

Debbie K., a Simple Daily Recipes email subscriber, emailed me the other day.
She said,

"I'd really like some great lunch ideas that I can take to work maybe heat up in the microwave, things that can be made before hand that are hopefully tasty and healthy."

HERE'S WHAT I'VE COOKED UP BEFORE

• Minestrone with Pasta and Beans
• Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup
• No Heartburn Beef Chili
• Very Delicious Cream of Zucchini Soup
• Red Bean Tortilla Soup
• Butternut Chicken Stew
• Organic Italian Soup
• REAL Chicken Chili

Butternut Chicken Stew

Butternut squash, chicken, kidney beans, red bell pepper, tomatoes and corn make up this simple hearty stew.

This recipe is similar to the Butternut Squash Chili recipe I posted last January.  Only this time, I added a couple of roasted chicken breast I had stored in the freezer, a red bell pepper, and made it with half beef broth and half chicken broth.  I don't know if that sounds strange to you, but it was delicious to us.  I was glad that I made a large batch and have plenty to keep us full for a couple of days.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO PUT IT TOGETHER

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoon canola oil

Cook in a large pot over medium heat until onion has soften.

• 1 (14.5oz) can tomatoes with garlic & onions
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 2 cups cooked kidney beans or 1 (14oz) can
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled & cubed to make 1 1/2 cups
• 1 1/2 cups approx. beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups approx. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoon New Mexico Chili pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Simmer the next ingredients from above together for 15 minutes.  First bring it to a boil, then LOWER heat to a simmer.

• 1 cup frozen corn

Add the frozen corn last and cook another 15 minutes.  YOU'RE READY TO EAT!

I JUST WANT TO SAY OUT LOUD:

If you don't have cooked chicken already on hand.  No biggy.  Just do a little rearranging.

Go ahead and chop up two uncooked, skinless, boneless, chicken boobs into 1 1/2 inch pieces and put them in when you add the tomatoes.  Stop there and allow the chicken to cook through until all the pink is gone.  It won't take but 7 to 10 minutes?, depending on how small or large, you cut up the chicken.  Once the chicken is cooked, move on with the rest of the recipe as follows.

Another thing.
About the broths, I said 1 1/2 cups, but I'm really guessimating that number.  I poured them out evenly until there was enough liquid to call it 'stew.' I can tell you that I have two half cartons of each in the frig right now.  So you won't need more than a couple of cans or one carton of each broth.