Tomato, Basil, Raviolini Soup: Not your typical Tomato Soup

Years ago, I had this soup in some cafe.  I loved it so that I did some research knowing it was not homemade, and I found that it was from a company that sold frozen, concentrated soups.  I was able to purchase the concentrate, but because it was sold to institutions, it came in a package size that was impossible to deal with.  PLUS, what a better opportunity to challenge my own culinary skills!  I have been attempting to make this brothy tomato soup for several years, and this summer, I had a breakthrough.  This soup is not like typical tomato soups. It is not pureed, nor does it contain cream. It is only slightly thick, but is absolutely one of my favorites with a spicy kick from red chili flakes and basil.  This soup is best made during the summer due to the need for roasted tomatoes.  What I do is to take my tomato seconds from the garden and roast them up with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, at 350 for about an hour until they are soft and browning. I then put them through a food mill.  This is the key to this recipe.  It gives a depth to this soup you cannot get without the roasting.

This soup can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients for Roasted Tomatoes
3 lbs. tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Directions for Roasted Tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem.  Place tomatoes on a cookie sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in 350 degree oven for about an hour until skins have popped and turned black in spots. Put through a food mill (or processor then strainer).  Yield will vary based on tomatoes.  Extra can be used in soup or frozen for next batch.

Ingredients for soup
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. crushed red chili flakes
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 c. roasted tomatoes (pureed)
1-28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (not in puree), broken into small (about 1/2'') pieces
1 qt. homemade chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 c. water
1 T. white wine vinegar
3-4 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. basil, chiffonade
1 1/2 c. raviolini

Directions for Soup
Heat oil in heavy bottomed dutch oven.  Add chili flakes, bay leaf, and onions.  Sauté until onions are softened, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Add roasted tomatoes, whole can of broken up tomatoes and juice, broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, then simmer for 1 hour. After 1/2 hour, bring large pot of water to a boil.  Add 1 T. salt and cook raviolini until thoroughly done (not al dente).  Drain pasta.  Taste soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add vinegar.  Mix 3 T. cornstarch and water.  Add to soup.  Soup should thicken slightly, but not be thick. If needed, mix the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water and add to make the soup a bit more thick, depending on taste.  Add the raviolini to the soup along with the basil.  Serve and enjoy!

Big Bowl of Fabulousness: Beans and Rice on Steroids

I had a dish similar to this one in Portland at one of the food trucks on 11th Avenue. I knew when I got my bowl that it was going to make me happy.  The characteristic smell of beans and rice, perfumed with lemon and garlic, and ohhhhh, the olives!  The bowl I had I think was called the "Big Bowl", and it had brown rice, black beans, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, cheddar cheese and green olives on it. This was topped with a bright yellow sauce that was reminiscent of a hummus, but more lemony, and rich tasting.  A dollop of yogurt and a splash of salsa finished it off.  I was in heaven, I tell you. Heaven.  After some sleuthing, I found out that the sauce, which was the magical part of this concoction, was a Tali sauce, so I did some research and some tweaking, and came up with this Tali sauce recipe. I also added feta for the salty edge it imparts and for its pairing with the olives.

This bowl of fabulousness is my favorite take to work lunch.  It can be served at room temperature or even cold. Warning though.....the garlic scent that will waft through your workspace may send vampires running.  This is one of those dishes that you'll return to again and again, and, you won't feel badly doing so.  Try it.  I think you'll like it.

Big Bowl of Fabulousness

Serves 8

2 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice

1 lb. beans (or 4 cans)

2 cups Greek yogurt

Salad Ingredients

1 English cucumber, large diced

1 medium sweet onion, finely diced

2/3 c. green olives, sliced

11/2  c. feta cheese

¼ c. chopped cilantro

1 lb. tomatoes, large diced

Tali Sauce

1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 c cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 c cooked soybeans
4 garlic cloves
1/2 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ascorbic acid or citric acid

Directions for Beans and Rice: 

Soak beans overnight.  Drain and cook beans at a simmer in a heavy bottomed pot.  Water level should be about 2-3 inches above beans.  Add water as needed.  When beans are tender, drain and salt them.

About 1 ½ hours before serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Boil 3 ½ cups of water.  Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with 2 t. oil and sprinkle on 2 t. kosher salt and 2 c. rice.  When water is at a full boil, add it to the baking dish and cover the dish with 2 layers of foil.  Be sure to cover tightly to prevent steam from escaping.  Bake at 375 for one hour and five minutes or until rice is tender.  Let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and fluff with a fork.

Directions for Tali Sauce:
Combine oil, almonds, beans, and garlic in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree until completely smooth.

Directions for Serving:

Make a salad with the vegetables and feta.

Serve by placing rice and beans in a bowl.  Top with some of the Tali sauce fabulousness.  Top that with the salad and a dollop of yogurt. You may want to consider adding some salsa to the top too, but hey, I’m just crazy that way.

Enjoy!

A- Traditional Spaghetti Carbonara: Lightening up dinner for a change

I love Spaghetti Carbonara.  I mean, love it.  Its richness, its texture.  It is actually my favorite thing to make with leftover pasta for breakfast.  The problem is is that I don't feel good about eating it.  I love good food.  At the same time, I struggle, because I want to eat healthy food, at least, most of the time.

Eating Spaghetti Carbonara seems wrong, somehow, to me.  So tonight, I decided to try to lighten it up, and to be honest, the product was successful, at least for me.  I have to be honest when I say that I usually don't like "light" recipes. I normally figure that if you are going to eat, you should eat.  But, sometimes I make exceptions.  I rarely eat beef, and will replace it with turkey without hesitation.  I use some low fat products such as mayonnaise, sour cream and milk, etc. And I rarely eat pasta that is not whole grain, except when I make it fresh.

Now to say that this is a "healthy" meal would be deceiving.  I'm sure it's not. But compared to it's counterpart, I feel fulfilled and don't feel badly about my dinner.  Traditional Carbonara is based on Pancetta (Italian Bacon), eggs, sometimes cream, and lots of cheese.  Carbonara is easy no matter what recipe you use.  The trick is not to curdle the eggs.  The way you do this is to mix it with cream (or in this case buttermilk) and to turn off the heat before adding it to the pasta.  I make sure to use fresh eggs for this (I like using free range organic eggs. I may be a student, but this is one of my few extravagant ingredients I will spend money on.  Well, this, and good Parmeggiano Reggiano--ok, there are others....)

This recipe as well as many others only take as much time as it takes to make pasta, so it is perfect for a busy day. Please try it and let me know what you think.

Shameem's Non-Traditional Spaghetti Carbonara
(serves one and I'm sure can be easily multiplied)

2 oz. whole grain spaghetti (I like Barilla whole grain, it doesn't taste too wheaty)
1 T. salt
2 quarts water

1/2 leek, cut in half, rinsed carefully in lots of water, and thinly sliced
4 Crimini mushrooms
1/2 t. olive oil
pinch salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
2 oz. Canadian bacon, roughly chopped

1 oz. Parmeggiano Reggiano, grated
1/2 oz. Pecorino Romano, grated
1 T. buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 t. black pepper, freshly ground, coarse
1 T. parsley

Directions
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.  Once it is at a boil, add the salt.  Add your pasta.  Cook until just al dente (so that it still has a bit of a bite.)

While the water is coming to a boil, saute the leeks in olive oil with a pinch of salt for 3 minutes on medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes more.  Add garlic and bacon and cook for one minute.  Add the wine and cook for one minute until the wine evaporates.

Mix the egg, buttermilk, pinch of salt, pepper and cheeses in a small bowl.

When the pasta is done, take the vegetables off of the heat.  Add the pasta using tongs.  Don't worry about a little extra water going into the pan.  Mix the pasta and the vegetables.  Add the eggs and cheese and mix well.  Top with parsley and extra pepper and serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy it!