Single Servings: May 2003 Archives
Yesterday as I was leaving for work, the sky suddenly got dark and the thunder rumbled. Perfect soup weather, so I picked a recipe from the magazine. It's a 15-minutes-or-less type recipe. I made it even quicker by leaving out the spinach and garlic, and made some substitutions, as well.
I dumped one 15-ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes in a saucepan with a canful of water and half a bouillion cube. Brought it to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer. Then cracked an egg into the boiling liquid and left it alone for 4 minutes. I toasted a slice of Amy's Bread organic whole wheat, put it in a soup plate, placed the poached egg on top, ladeled the tomatoes and broth on that and shredded Parmesan over the whole thing. I ate it with a knife and fork and never had to get out a spoon because by the time I was finished all the soup had been soaked up by the bread. Another blogger I read regularly, In the Kitchen, mentioned ribollita today. I had never heard of it, but it sounds similar to the soup I made. In the same family, anyway.
There were lots of tomatoes and broth left, so I'll have that tonight with a grilled Cheddar sandwich (I can't resist the tomato soup/grilled cheese combo).
Yesterday as I was leaving for work, the sky suddenly got dark and the thunder rumbled. Perfect soup weather, so I picked a recipe from the magazine. It's a 15-minutes-or-less type recipe. I made it even quicker by leaving out the spinach and garlic, and made some substitutions, as well.
I dumped one 15-ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes in a saucepan with a canful of water and half a bouillion cube. Brought it to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer. Then cracked an egg into the boiling liquid and left it alone for 4 minutes. I toasted a slice of Amy's Bread organic whole wheat, put it in a soup plate, placed the poached egg on top, ladeled the tomatoes and broth on that and shredded Parmesan over the whole thing. I ate it with a knife and fork and never had to get out a spoon because by the time I was finished all the soup had been soaked up by the bread. Another blogger I read regularly, In the Kitchen, mentioned ribollita today. I had never heard of it, but it sounds similar to the soup I made. In the same family, anyway.
There were lots of tomatoes and broth left, so I'll have that tonight with a grilled Cheddar sandwich (I can't resist the tomato soup/grilled cheese combo).
The ingredients list for the sauce from the Los Barrios Family Cookbook: 10 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper.
What I used (mostly because it's what I had): 15-ounce can tomato puree (you puree then cook down the tomatoes in the recipe, so I thought "short cut"), olive oil, the white part of three large (very large!) scallions, chopped, 2 very hot jalapenos, garlic powder, salt and pepper. So unless you think of garlic powder as a primary ingredient, I basically made an entirely different recipe.
I'm sure their sauce is very good, and I'll have to try it sometime, but here's what I did:
My brother graduated from Colorado State on Saturday, so Todd and I flew in to help him celebrate. It gave me the opportunity to prepare a spread for a group of family and friends, which was fun. (My mom is firmly of the "get a six foot hero and a veggie platter from Sam's" camp, so I think I stressed her out by wanting to prepare the sandwiches myself.)
I have this problem with sleeping on vacation. I am not one of those people who go on vacation to sleep: I tend to be up at the crack of dawn (or at least 7:30 EST, which in Colorado translated to 5:30). But it was lovely to be in my mother's kitchen at 5:30, staring the coffee for the sleeping family, popping an apple braid in the oven (from the freezer) and assembling sandwiches and platters. I love cooking in my mom's kitchen (it being quite a bit larger than the standard NYC kitchen I usually have to work with).
From now on, I am keeping cubes of Hawaiian bread and a bag of semisweet chocolate chips in my freezer. I made individual servings of chocolate bread pudding last night from Cooking Light that Todd declared were "the best thing you have made so far."
So, in case I lose the recipe, here it is: Toast 2 cups of 1/2-inch cubes of Hawaiian bread (a slightly sweet white bread) in a 350 degree oven (I skipped this step because my cubes were stale). Mix 2/3 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon flavored liquer (the recipe called for Kahlua, but I used Grand Marnier) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a 4-cup glass measure or a medium bowl. Mix in the toasted cubes and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Split half the bread cubes between two 6-ounce ramekins, layer 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips into each, then layer the remaining bread cubes over the top and sprinkle each with another 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips. Bake in a waterbath in a 325 degree oven 35 minutes until set. We ate them warm.
From now on, I am keeping cubes of Hawaiian bread and a bag of semisweet chocolate chips in my freezer. I made individual servings of chocolate bread pudding last night from Cooking Light that Todd declared were "the best thing you have made so far."
So, in case I lose the recipe, here it is: Toast 2 cups of 1/2-inch cubes of Hawaiian bread (a slightly sweet white bread) in a 350 degree oven (I skipped this step because my cubes were stale). Mix 2/3 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon flavored liquer (the recipe called for Kahlua, but I used Grand Marnier) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a 4-cup glass measure or a medium bowl. Mix in the toasted cubes and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Split half the bread cubes between two 6-ounce ramekins, layer 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips into each, then layer the remaining bread cubes over the top and sprinkle each with another 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips. Bake in a waterbath in a 325 degree oven 35 minutes until set. We ate them warm.
Carrot soup last night. I have a coworker who will blend any pretty-colored vegetable into a soup, and this is one of her favorites. I love the thick, creamy texture of it without the guilt of cream. (Although I'm sure cream would be nice.)
It's so easy, too, and I made a big enough batch to have leftovers for today and for the freezer (Todd won't eat carrot soup). It's easy enough to make just one serving, though. Just cut down on amounts.
I diced one medium onion then sauteed it in butter in a large, deep skillet. Then I halved lengthwise a pound of baby carrots from a bag and added that to the skillet with a palmful of cumin. Stirred it around to toast the cumin, then added 4 cups of water and a veggie bullion cube (I think the Knorr cubes are just fine). Brought it to a boil and let it simmer, covered, about 25 minutes. Added cayenne and then pureed it in the blender in batches, mostly the carrots with just a little of the broth. I thinned the soup later with the broth left in the pan (it had all the cumin-cayenne flavor, too). That way you have more control over the thickness of the soup.
Carrot soup last night. I have a coworker who will blend any pretty-colored vegetable into a soup, and this is one of her favorites. I love the thick, creamy texture of it without the guilt of cream. (Although I'm sure cream would be nice.)
It's so easy, too, and I made a big enough batch to have leftovers for today and for the freezer (Todd won't eat carrot soup). It's easy enough to make just one serving, though. Just cut down on amounts.
I diced one medium onion then sauteed it in butter in a large, deep skillet. Then I halved lengthwise a pound of baby carrots from a bag and added that to the skillet with a palmful of cumin. Stirred it around to toast the cumin, then added 4 cups of water and a veggie bullion cube (I think the Knorr cubes are just fine). Brought it to a boil and let it simmer, covered, about 25 minutes. Added cayenne and then pureed it in the blender in batches, mostly the carrots with just a little of the broth. I thinned the soup later with the broth left in the pan (it had all the cumin-cayenne flavor, too). That way you have more control over the thickness of the soup.
