Tuscan Pommodoro Soup
(Rustic Tomato Soup)
Recipe courtesy Renee Loux
6-8 Servings
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced yellow onion
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for soup and drizzling
6 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped plus 2 to 4 cloves, cut into slivers
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons maple syrup or organic sugar
4 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced, with their juice
1/2 loaf stale or lightly toasted open-faced bread, torn into pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth or filtered water, if necessary
2 to 3 cups fresh basil leaves
Place onion, olive oil, and chopped garlic in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until onions are very soft, translucent and caramelized.
Add balsamic, maple syrup or sugar and slivered garlic and continue to cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes with their juices and bread pieces. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add vegetable broth or water and bring to a simmer. Allow to stand until bread absorbs liquid. Add more vegetable broth or water if the soup becomes too thick. Remove the soup from the heat and cool for a few minutes.
Tear basil leaves and stir into soup with additional olive oil. Allow to cool to serving temperature to let the bread absorb the flavors of the basil and olive oil.
If desired, drizzle each serving with olive oil, a pinch of coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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I think that we have all done something like this for Halloween. It is fun, tasty, and a great treat for children or grand-children.
Jack O'Lantern Stew
Recipe courtesy Dawn Bergner
1 (9 to 12-inch) pumpkin
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
4 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 cups cooked rice (instant is okay)
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato soup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the insides. Rinse well. Carve a spooky face onto the pumpkin, without going all the way through the flesh. Rinse well, oil outside of pumpkin. Bake the pumpkin shell for 30 minutes.
While shell is baking: saute the onion, green and red peppers, carrots, celery, and garlic until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown ground beef and chicken. Add the veggies and cooked rice and cook over low heat, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Remove pumpkin from oven and let stand 15 minutes. Stir the tomatoes and soup into the meat mixture. Place meat mixture into pumpkin. Put back in oven for 20 minutes. Serve on a platter with cheesy biscuits — very yummy.
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Pine Nut and Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2006
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) pine nuts
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) hulled pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
6 tablespoons corn syrup
4 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Roast the nuts until golden, shaking the pan periodically to ensure even browning, about 10 minutes.
Line a large sheet pan with a silpat or aluminum foil. Smooth out any wrinkles that form on the sheet pan, grease with the vegetable oil and set aside. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, without stirring. Add the corn syrup and continue to boil the sugar, brushing down the sides of the saucepan with a brush that's been dipped in water to force down into the pan any crystallized sugar that forms on the walls of the pan.
When the sugar reaches 250 degrees F, gradually add the butter, but do not stir. Continue to cook the sugar until it starts to turn a light caramel color. Remove from the heat and add the salt and baking soda, stirring to distribute. Pour the sugar over the silpat and cover evenly, making a thin sheet over the silpat. While the sugar is still warm, sprinkle the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds over the candy. Allow to cool completely before breaking and serving.
Yield: 1 large sheet pan; 10 to 12 servings
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