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The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions (and Tomato Soup!)

Ah, dear readers! My intention was to have this post ready to go in time for Lent. It was perfect for Lent (and I suppose it still is). Things came up, however, that prevented me from fulfilling my obligation to get ‘er done… too many things to mention. Sometimes we just have put our frivolous fancies on the back burner for a while. That’s what I did. I hope that no one broke any Lenten promise because they simply didn’t have the perfect tomato soup recipe. The burden will weigh heavily on my mind (for a little while).

At this point, I guess I will simply switch gears and let you know that this soup recipe will also be perfect for a lovely Mother’s Day treat. Perhaps a nice grilled cheese sandwith, bowl of delicious soup and a delightful fluted glass of Prosecco. I know I’d be good with that! Or a bowl of soup would be a wonderful introduction to a fabulous seared venison, nilgai, or elk tenderloin with balsamic glaze and some roasted asparagus. If you are a mom, point this out to your nearest and dearest Deerslayer. If you are the Deerslayer, you know what you have to do!

Everyone needs a really great tomato soup recipe. I’ve never been a fan of canned tomato soup. And some of the restaurant specialties have as much cream and butter as tomatoes! I looked through many recipes, tried a few, tweeked those a bit, and ended up with a nice tomato soup recipe that pleased all members of the Deerslayer household. And it’s pretty darned good for you, too. It has become my go-to recipe for tomato soup. I believe all households should have one. The addition of garlic and balsamic vinegar send it right over the top. I hope it becomes your go-to recipe, as well, with some tweeking to make it your own.

Really Good Tomato Soup

As I scrutinized my reference photo, it became apparent that other items on my counter might have caused confusion. This recipe DOES NOT have oats, rice, beans, or fiber cereal in the list of ingredients. Sorry about that!

a splash of olive oil

½ an onion, chopped*

1 stalk celery, chopped*

1 large carrot, chopped*

2-3 cloves of chopped garlic*

2 bay leaves

1 small can tomato paste

2 tbs. flour

2 small cans of diced tomatoes or one big one(approx 28-32 oz. total)

3 cups chicken stock (or duck, goose, or pheasant, etc.) You get the picture.

1 tsp. white pepper (White pepper is a whole different flavor. It’s worth a try. Black pepper can be substituted, though.)

1-2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt to taste

Directions

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and bay leaves.

Stir until onions are soft and translucent.

Add garlic and continue stirring, being careful not to let garlic burn. Turn heat down to medium.

Add tomato paste. Mash it in with the veg, and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour for another minute or two. Pour in the tomatoes, stir well, then stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add pepper, sugar, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to produce a smooth soup, if desired.

Garnish with sour cream, toasted pumpkin seeds, or whatever your heart desires.

Don’t forget to save all the trimmed off bits for making a delicious, homemade stock. Put all the bits into a gallon-sized zip-lock bag and store in the freezer. Add to the bag until it is full of carrot, celery, onion, and garlic scraps that can be thrown into a large stock pot with water for stock. Bones can be added, too.

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Posted by thedeerslayerswife on April 16, 2016 in Recipes, Uncategorized

Tags: Lenten recipes, Soup Recipes, Tomato Soup

Only 3 1/2 More Months

28 May

Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder with Whitewing Dove Breast

First of all, it just occurred to the Deerslayer family that, in South Texas, whitewing season will commence in three and a half short months. With that in mind, it was safe for me to baby my Deerslayer with his favorite meal of Cook- All Day Whitewing With Rich Gravy” and the obligatory white rice and LeSueur peas. Although the recipe is time-consuming, the result is totally worth it for the devotee. The meat is succulent and falls off the bone. The gravy is rich and flavorful.

It was greatly appreciated. As usual, however, we had about a half dozen birds left over. We usually just reheat the birds, make a new batch of rice and dig in. But I had a new idea for the leftovers that was inspired by a recipe that the female Deerslayers recently enjoyed at a local restaurant!

We knew our starting point; roasted poblanos and roasted corn. There were carrots and potatoes, chicken (which I knew I could substitute with whitewing instead!) and a creamy base. Now to put it all together.

2 roasted and peeled poblano peppers, chopped

2 roasted ears of corn, cut from the cob

1/2 cup onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

one stalk celery, finely chopped

one large carrot, finely chopped

corn oil, to cover bottom of skillet*

3 cups of chicken stock

1 small red potato, cubed

1 cup cooked whitewing breast (or more!)

1/2 cup cream or half and half

1/2 tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. comino (cumin)

1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste

freshly ground pepper to taste

1. On a cookie sheet, arrange poblano peppers and two ears of shucked corn, silks removed. Set oven to “high” broiler setting. Place cookie sheet on highest rack in oven, about 10 inches from the heating element. Watch closely. As poblanos begin to blister and corn browns, use tongs to turn each until all sides of poblanos are blistered and corn is browned on all sides. Remove from broiler.

Place poblanos in a bowl, cover with plastic, and allow to steam for 20 minutes.

Remove stems, seeds, and charred skin . Chop poblanos and set aside.

Once roasted corn is cooled, cut from the cob and set aside.

2. Saute’ onion and garlic in corn oil in a high-sided cast iron skillet.

*Now some may disagree with this next step, but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. I like to use corn oil that has previously been used to soften corn tortillas for enchiladas or for frying corn tortillas for homemade tortilla chips. The oil takes on a fabulous flavor that works beautifully when frying rice, or sauteing onions and garlic for this recipe. Waste not, want not, I always say!

3. Add all veggies (except for roasted corn and poblanos) to onion and garlic, saute for a couple of minutes, then add 2 cups of the stock, chili powder, comino, salt, and pepper. Simmer until veggies are soft.

4. With a slotted spoon, remove veggies to a blender. Add chopped poblanos, last cup of stock and 1/2 cup of cream. You’ll probably need to do this in two batches.