Yes, I am a soup addict. Especially in the fall and winter -- nothing says comfort like a big cup of steaming soup.
I never really realized how easy it is to make homemade soup. And once I decided to invest in an immersion blender, it became even easier. Plus, if I make a big batch, I can put it in containers and freeze it -- most soups will freeze and reheat wonderfully.
Another technique I discovered is that roasting vegetables makes the best soups! Now when I make any sort of vegetable soup, I pretty much always roast the vegetables first.
I picked up a few varieties of mushrooms at Lee Lee's last weekend, intending on using them for something else (risotto, among others). But I just started jonesing for soup, so the risotto will have to wait until I get back to Lee Lee's for more 'shrooms. (For my soup, I used a combination of shitakes, creminis, and white button mushrooms. You can use any combo of wild mushrooms you prefer or can find).
The thing was, I also had 10 Roma tomatoes from my Bountiful Basket that I needed to use. Since I have my own tomato plants that are just starting to produce me a good crop, I didn't want to be lost under a pile of tomatoes. And, I couldn't decide whether I wanted mushroom soup or tomato soup. So, naturally, I made both!
Another little twist I did . . . I bought some canned Fire Roasted Hatch Green Chile from Trader Joe's the other day. I was beyond excited to find roasted Hatch green chiles anywhere, even if they were canned. I've had the regular green chiles in the can that you find in most grostos, and they always taste rather flavorless to me. But these Hatch chiles are quite good! Most canned and packaged goods that TJs sells are way better quality than what I've had before. They really are awesome at preserving freshness as much as possible, and I can certainly taste the difference.
I bought several cans of the Hatch chiles, and tomatoes and chiles are just a match made in culinary heaven. So I threw the contents of one of those small cans into the tomatoes, red bells, shallots, and garlic I was pureeing and whipped them up. Amazing results! There's just a hint of the roasted chile flavor, and a tiny kick of spice, and it works beyond beautifully with the roasted tomatoes and bells. I'm not sure I'd love it quite as much with the other canned chiles, but it certainly won't hurt it to try. My second choice, though, if I didn't have the Hatch chiles, would be to buy some Anaheims or similar fresh chiles and roast and peel myself. They're not Hatch, but at least they'd be fresh!
This is absolutely, by far, the best tomato soup I have ever had!
As I said . . . couldn't be easier! Cutting up some veggies and aromatics, tossing with EVOO, and roasting for a bit -- then puree, add more stuff, cook. Done. In about an hour or so, start to finish, you can have a steaming pot of soup. Just don't forget the grilled cheese!
The How:
Roasted Tomato Soup with Red Bell Pepper and Fire Roasted Hatch Green Chile
10 medium Roma tomatoes, halved and cored, if needed
2 medium red bell peppers, quartered
2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 T. EVOO
1 small can of fire roasted Hatch green chiles or ½ C. of roasted, peeled, and chopped Anaheim green chiles
2.5 to 3 C. chicken broth or stock
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 t. Italian season blend
¼ C. heavy cream (optional)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange tomatoes, cut side down, and green chiles (if using) in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO. Wrap garlic cloves, drizzled with EVOO, loosely in another piece of foil. (You can roast a whole head of garlic if you prefer – just cut off the top, drizzle with EVOO, and place on the baking sheet, either wrapped or unwrapped). Roast for 10 minutes, then add the shallots, tossed with EVOO, to the pan and continue roasting for about 30 minutes more, until the skin on the tomatoes start to shrivel and blacken.
When the tomatoes and bells are cool enough to handle, peel the skin and place in a saucepan. Add the roasted garlic and shallots. If using fresh roasted green chiles, place them in a plastic bag as soon as they come out of the oven. Seal the bag and let the chiles steam for about 20 minutes, then peel and seed. Add chiles to the pan with the tomatoes.
Using an immersion blender, puree the tomato / vegetable mixture with 1 cup of the chicken broth, until smooth. (Alternatively, you can blend in a stand blender – work in batches, if necessary).
Add 1.5 cups of the remaining broth to the puree. Add the Italian seasoning blend, and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you're really in a hurry, you can skip the 20-minute step, but I like to cook for a bit when using dry herbs, to make sure their flavor gets infused.) Add the cream, if using, and stir to incorporate. Heat for another 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through again.
Ladle into bowls and serve with – what else??!! Grilled cheese!
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Roasted Mushroom and Garlic Soup
1.5 lb of assorted mushrooms (cremini, shitake, white button)
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
6 to 8 garlic cloves (or many, many more – if you’re like me)
2 T. EVOO
3.5 C. beef broth (divided: 1 C. and 2.5 C.)
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
¼ C. dry red wine
2 to 3 t. herbs de Provence
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ to 1 C. heavy cream
Dash of fresh grated nutmeg
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean the mushrooms and trim the stems, if necessary, to get any hard ends off. Quarter or thickly slice and place in a bowl. Add shallots and garlic cloves to the bowl. Drizzle with EVOO and toss to coat. Place the vegetables in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.
Roast until the mushroom are tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside about ½ cup of the roasted mushrooms.
Place the remaining mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in a bowl, along with 1 cup of the beef broth. Using an immersion blender, puree the mushrooms until they’re your desired texture.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly, until you create a smooth roux. Continue to stir constantly for another 2 minutes, until the roux just starts to darken to a light tan. Slowly pour in 1 cup of the beef broth, stirring constantly with a whisk. Continue to whisk until all lumps are gone. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the broth starts to thicken.
Add the red wine and stir to incorporate. Add the mushroom puree and stir thoroughly. Add the remaining beef broth, until the mixture reaches your desired consistency (you may or may not use all of the broth, depending on how thick you want your soup).
Slice or chop the reserved 1/2 cup of mushrooms, and add to the soup.
Slice or chop the reserved 1/2 cup of mushrooms, and add to the soup.
Add the herbs de Provence, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream to your taste, if using, and a dash of fresh grated nutmeg. Stir to incorporate and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until soup is heated through.
Ladle into bowls and serve with garlic-parmesan bread or your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.
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