Fresh Tomato and Oregano Soup

Searching for a interesting tomato soup recipe, I came across this Chunky Fresh Tomato Oregano Soup on the site Rock Recipes, a food blog out of Newfoundland, Canada. I like this soup for its simplicity and bold, fresh tomato flavors. It comes together in less than an hour with pretty minimal effort.

I changed a couple things from the original recipe: I omitted the vegetable broth and used water, since I did not want to dilute the pure tomato flavor. Yes there is oregano here, but that only enhances the tomato taste. I also cut back on the olive oil and butter, which was original 3 tablespoons each.

Fresh Tomato and Oregano Soup
Adapted from Chunky Fresh Tomato Oregano Soup, Rock Recipes

Makes about 4 servings

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 to 3 lbs. fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
3 bay leaves
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes
3 cups water
Pinch of brown sugar
Parmesan toast rounds (optional garnish, recipe below)

1. Combine butter, olive oil and onion in a Dutch oven or other large soup pot over medium heat. Cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Onions should be very soft but not brown (reduce heat if needed to prevent browning).

2. Add the remaining ingredients through brown sugar, increase heat to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaves. Pulse an immersion blender through the soup a few times to make it thicker, but do not process to a puree (the soup should be chunky). Serve garnished with a sprinkle of fresh oregano leaves and a parmesan toast round (recipe below).

Parmesan Toast Rounds

4 slices of baguette, about 1/2-inch thick
Olive oil
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Hungarian paprika

Preheat oven broiler. Lightly brush baguette slices with olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet and broil until lightly browned (watch carefully, they will burn fast). Turn bread slices over to toast the other side. Remove from oven and place a heaping spoonful of parmesan on each toasted slice. Sprinkle with paprika. Return to broiler to melt cheese (again, watch carefully to prevent the cheese from burning). Remove from oven

The Feed: September 18, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Eater: “Windows on the World, New York's Sky-High Restaurant,” by Greg Morabito.
Much was taken away from us on September 11, 2001. One of those things was Windows on the World, the restaurant at the top of One World Trade Center, which, along with 79 of its employees, was lost that day. Morabito’s story, a 12th anniversary of 9/11 feature, is a wonderful tribute to the once top-of-the-world restaurant. In addition to discussing its history and design, he also interviews its final chef, Michael Lomonaco.

Washington Post: “Revive wilted produce to fight food waste,” by Carol Blymire.
Blymire’s opening anecdote is a common one for the home cook: at some point in the week you pull out your fridge’s vegetable drawer full of wonderful farmers market produce and find…that it’s not so wonderful anymore. It’s droopy and limp. Maybe okay for a soup or stir fry, but a salad? Uh-uh. She does a great job explaining how moisture loss is the culprit, offers tips to prevent it and explains how to revive vegetables with water once they’ve started going over the edge (too far gone though and they should just be discarded). Handily, she offers specific tips for reviving 12 produce items.

Serious Eats: “The Serious Eats Guide to Ramen Styles,” by J. Kenji López-Alt.
If Bon Appétit’s Beginner’s Guide to Ramen whetted your appetite, this should really satisfy your thirst for ramen knowledge. It’s amazingly comprehensive, covering different types of styles, broth bases, seasonings, noodles, meats, eggs, vegetables and more. And if that’s not enough, this is just part of a week’s worth of ramen coverage. Go noodle yourself!

New York Times: “Miso, for So Much More Than Just Soup,” by Martha Rose Shulman.
I have a tub of miso in my fridge that I bought for a few recipes in the spring (ramen, salmon, risotto and soup) and haven’t done much with since. If it’s still good (miso has a long shelf life, I think), then this Miso-Glazed Eggplant sounds like a perfect use for the Asian fermented bean paste. Shulman offers up several other miso recipes, none of the them soups.

Wall Street Journal: “Chinese Food Goes Upscale,” by Katy McLaughlin.
McLaughlin tackles an interesting question in this piece: with lots of Asian cuisines having gone “upscale” lately, why do so many Chinese restaurants seem stuck in the past? (“General Tso’s chicken and fortune cookies” as she puts it). Things may be changing though, as she chronicles several promising new openings across the country.

USA Today: “10 food fads worth traveling for,” by Christine Sarkis.
By now, everyone’s heard of the cronut. And the ramen and umami burgers are certainly making the rounds. Sarkis rounds up a collection of many of the most prominent trendy food trends and shares where you can get them.

The Amateur Gourmet: “Alphabet Of Foods That Will Kill You,” by Adam Roberts.
Food blogger Adam Roberts put out what amounts to a six-page comic book that covers deadly foods from A to Z. It’s mostly tongue-in-cheek, although arguably there are a few fatal things on the list.

This Ain't Your Baby's Applesauce

Apples are usually associated with dessert: apple pie, apple cake, apple brown betty, etc. Savory apple recipes are few and far between. This time of year though, when apples come into their peak season, this most classic fruit deserves some space on your menu prior to the final course. Applesauce is one such avenue, a deliciously tart, spicy and sweet side that is particularly wonderful with pork but can serve alongside other mains as well.

It's also really easy to make. Of the many things you both buy and make yourself, the one I believe benefits most from the home cook's touch is applesauce. The kind in a jar just isn't very interesting. It has no texture and only a very basic flavor. It's hardly different from the baby-food version.

I used the intensely flavorful hickory-smoked bacon from Harvey's Market in D.C.'s Union Market.

No one would confuse this applesauce for baby-food. With added flavors and textures, this recipe turns the classic apple side into something that can really hold its own against a perfectly pan-seared pork chop.

I added bacon for smoky and crisp-chewy texture, walnuts for crunch, caramelized onion for depth and maple syrup for a more interesting sweetness than the usual white sugar. There's a bit of pepper and thyme as well, plus some lemon juice at the finish for a slight sourness. The resulting sauce is thick and chunky, sweet but not overly so. It's familiar as applesauce, but surprisingly different as well.

Don't rush the caramelizing of the onions or you'll end up just sautéing them, which is a different process.

Deluxe Applesauce with Bacon, Caramelized Onion, Walnuts and Maple

1/4 lb. hickory-smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Add bacon to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until browned and crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Remove excess bacon fat to leave about a tablespoon. Reduce heat below medium; add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is very soft and light brown (this is when it's caramelized), about 30 minutes. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

2. Add apples, cinnamon, water, thyme, walnuts and maple syrup to saucepan. Increase heat to medium-high, cover and bring to a boil. When mixture boils, reduce heat to medium and simmer vigorously for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened. Smash a few of the apple pieces with a wooden spoon as you stir the mixture, which will be very thick. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked bacon and lemon juice. Allow to cool a bit before serving (but I recommend serving it warm and not cold, but just not piping hot).

Cold Chickpea-Tahini Soup

Summer's days are numbered, but that doesn't necessarily mean there won't still be some hot days to come. And fresh summer produce is still around: the tomatoes at my local farmers market continue to be fabulous.

Mix together the vegetable topping separately. Kind of looks like a chunky salsa.

If you find yourself with a hot day and an abundance of fresh vegetables, this cold chickpea soup, which ran in the New York Times in the spring, is just perfect. It comes together quickly too.

Using a blender makes this soup come together super fast.

I didn't change a lot from Mark Bittman's original recipe, although I did omit the crumbled feta cheese, which actually makes this soup vegan. I also left out the chopped olives, since I thought they might make it too salty. If you enjoyed the Parsnip-Carrot Soup with Tahini and Roasted Chickpeas from last winter, consider this a simpler, warmer weather cousin of that delicious dish.

The soup will be thick but should still be pourable.

Cold Chickpea-Tahini Soup
Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman for the New York Times

1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup minced onion (I used sweet onion, the original recipe called for red)
1/4 cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (2 15 oz. cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 small garlic clove
2 to 3 tbsp. tahini
1-2 cups of water

1. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. In a blender, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, 1 tbsp. olive oil, cumin, garlic, tahini and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Turn the blender on and, through the feed tube, gradually add enough water until the mixture is pureed with a smooth texture and is thin enough to pour (you will need at least 1 cup of water).

3. Pour into bowls and top with the vegetable mixture and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Roasted Tomato Cocktails

Someone recently asked me what my favorite vegetable was, and I said it has to be the tomato. It's amazingly complex, versatile and around for only a short time (except for canned of course). That time is now.

It's possible, however improbable, that you may be suffering from tomato overload at the moment. You're capresed and pazanelled out! If that's that case, here's an interesting twist for fresh summer tomatoes: make cocktails with them. And I'm not talking about tomato juice, but a homemade roasted tomato simple syrup. Now that's a way to drink a tomato.

The syrup is pretty simple (no pun intended): roast the tomatoes for a long time just like you would for a recipe. Pulse a few times in a food processor then boil with sugar and water. Let it infuse a bit and then strain with a mesh sieve. The resulting syrup is sweet with a nice roasted tomato flavor. And don't even think of discarding the solids. It's almost like a tomato jam, and is great on toast.

First I paired the tomato syrup with margarita ingredients, although in keeping with the roasted theme I went with smoky mezcal and a little fiery habanero shrub for kick. Then I mixed it with some moonshine--a legal version, that is: Midnight Moon moonshine, made in North Carolina.

Smokin' Hot Tomato
(pictured at top)

1 oz. mezcal
1/2 oz. orange cognac liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
1 oz. roasted tomato simple syrup (see recipe below)
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 droppers of Bittermens hellfire habanero shrub
Lime wheel garnish (optional)

Combine mezcal, orange liqueur, tomato syrup, lime juice and habanero shrub in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into a lowball glass with ice. Garnish with lime wheel.

Tomato at Night

Tomato at Night

1 oz. Midnight Moon moonshine (may substitute vodka or gin)
1/2 oz. Aperol
3/4 oz roasted tomato simple syrup (see recipe below)
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 dashes angostura bitters
2 oz. club soda
Lemon wheel garnish (optional)

Combine moonshine, Aperol, tomato syrup, lemon juice and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into a lowball glass with ice. Add club soda and stir to combine. Garnish with lemon wheel.

Roasted Tomato Simple Syrup

2 lb. ripe tomatoes, quartered
Olive oil, about 1-2 tbsp.
Pinch of salt
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vodka (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place tomatoes in a 9 X 13 baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring every half hour or so until the tomatoes are shriveled, lightly browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer tomatoes to a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, water and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and allow to "steep" for 20 minutes. Strain out the solids with a fine mesh sieve (the solids are tasty, like tomato jam). Once cooled, store the syrup in the refrigerator. To prolong its life, add 1 tbsp. vodka.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Anchovies

My coworker Susan sometimes makes a pasta similar to this: simple and satisfying with fresh ingredients and a sprinkle of toast fresh bread crumbs for a little crunch.

Toasted fresh bread crumbs

If you have a few small tomatoes, such as sungold grape tomatoes, they would be great in this pasta too.

Broccoli rabe, also called rapini

Broccoli rabe, if you're unfamiliar with it, is a green with small heads that resemble broccoli. A member of the mustard family, it's also often called "rapini." Don't confuse it with broccolini, which is a hybrid of broccoli with with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks.

Frying garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes

I've said this before about anchovies, but I'll say it again: don't be afraid of them. They won't make this dish taste fishy. Honestly. They provide a nice meaty undertone that mingles well with the garlic and other flavors. They can really give a simple dish like this a nice flavor boost.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Anchovies
Adapted from Gemelli with Broccoli Rabe and Anchovies, Epicurious

Makes 6 servings

3 slices good-quality white bread, such as sourdough or Italian
1 lb. pasta
Salt, to taste
1 lb. broccoli rabe, tough stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5-6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
6 anchovy fillets, rinsed of salt and chopped
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1. Trim the crusts off the bread and tear into pieces about 1-inch wide. Place bread in a food processor and pulse a few times until a desired crumb is achieved. Transfer crumbs to a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread dries out and browns a bit, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook about 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and cook another 5 minutes until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli rabe is tender (adjust initial pasta cooking time depending on how long the pasta should cook to allow broccoli rabe to cook for 5 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Return pasta and broccoli rabe to the empty cooking pot.

3. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-low to medium heat. When hot, add garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes, stirring with a spoon to break up the anchovies. Cook for about 3 minutes, watching carefully to prevent garlic from browning (it should be golden, but not brown, which will make it bitter). Pour mixture over pasta, add reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Serve pasta in shallow bowls topped with parmesan shavings and toasted bread crumbs.

The Feed: September 11, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Washington Post: “World’s Best Lasagna tops AllRecipes list for more than a decade,” by Caitlin Dewey.
If you’ve ever searched the web for a recipe, chances are you’ve come across AllRecipes.com in your results. According to Dewey’s article, it’s the most popular English-language food site. This is a great story not just about the website but also home cook John Chandler, who authored the site’s longtime most popular recipe: World’s Best Lasagna. Kudos to the Post for including not just Chandler’s recipe, but five other lasagna recipes too, including Mushroom Bolognese Lasagna, which sounds really good.

Washington Post: “India pale lagers, craft beer’s category straddlers,” by Greg Kitsock.
I’m generally not into lagers. I love my IPA—the hoppier, the better. But I’m intrigued by India Pale Lagers, a class of lagers hopped with the more aggressive Pacific Northwest hops usually reserved for ale. Kitsock writes about how these “IPLs” are proliferating in popularity, including several locally made (local to the D.C. area) examples.

Los Angeles Times: “Apples, apples everywhere -- 16 recipes and not one pie or tart,” by Russ Parsons.
With apple season arriving, I'm in the mood for some great apple dishes. But I grow tired of the fruit being treated as only dessert, so I was excited to see this great collection of apple recipes in the Los Angeles Times. Apple and fennel salad is a combination I really like (although there’s no credit, I think this is Jose Andres’s recipe from Jaleo—the manchego is the tip off). And the Apple-Bacon Coffee Cake with apples sounds really amazing.

FooDCrave: “Kapnos - A new Isabella delight on 14th Street,” by Amanda Liz.
Mike Isabella’s latest D.C. restaurant, Kapnos, a Greek outpost with a love of smoky flavors, got a great review from the Washington Post last week. Here’s another positive review, from the FooDCrave blog, which gives a wonderful plate-by-plate overview with pictures, and everything sound (and looks) delicious.

Refinery 29: “Make the Spiciest Margarita Ever,” by Gabriel Bell
My mouth started watering as read this piece, a collaboration with Jeanine Donofrio of the Love & Lemons blog. Spicy margaritas are hot!

New York Times: “City Kitchen: The Time Is Right for Lobster,” by David Tanis.
The price of lobster is down this year, due to an abundant crop. Tanis writes about seizing this opportunity to make lobster at home and offers a great recipe for pasta with lobster and fresh tomatoes.

Jim Romenesko.Com: “No Disguise for Baltimore Sun Restaurant Critic When He Talks to Chefs at Sun U.,” by Jim Romenesko.
The Washington Post’s restaurant critic, Tom Sietsema, is known for keeping his identity under wraps, never allowing himself to be photographed and even wearing disguises when he reviews restaurants—a time-honored tradition that former New York Times critic Ruth Reichl wrote about compellingly in her memoir, Garlic and Sapphires. Apparently, the Baltimore Sun restaurant critic, Richard Gorelick, does not share in this practice. Although he’s taken some steps to protect his identity, he will make public appearances and won’t wear disguises. It reminded me of Washington City Paper food writer Jessica Sidman’s introductory column from last year, in which she declared that she was not “anonymous,” since she didn’t think it necessary in today’s age, given the changing role of the restaurant writer. It’s an interesting change in the profession. As a blogger who writes about restaurants, I’ve recently thought about it for my own writing. While I don’t go tweeting to restaurants that I’ll be showing up for dinner soon—despite some that have offered to treat me nicely if I visit—I do have my picture on my site and I make reservations (and pay bills) under my real name. Since I’m not a major critic, I doubt it would make much difference. I think the role of the blogger critics is more to provide an alternative perspective than a definitive review.