Welcome back to “I Made It So You Don’t Have To,” where I cook good-looking recipes from social media. The last few days, I have been feeliang a little under the weather. Maybe Halloween spooked away my immune system and left me running for the hills. Regardless, I thought this would be a perfect segue into cooking moods. What is one thing that we crave when we are sick? Comfort and warmth.
Comfort food is one of my favorite things to prepare because I know it makes us feel secure, warm and happy. These foods share some familiar qualities. They often contain simpler ingredients, are served super-hot, elicit feelings of intense satiety and can be the best medicine.
I am not arguing that food is more important for your health than medicine. (Definitely take your meds, people!) However, one thing that can fight illness is a nice bowl of hot soup. So, let’s get into that nostalgia!
This week, I decided to make tomato soup. I have no doubt that many of you have seen a tomato soup recipe on TikTok, given that we are moving into the colder seasons and the bright orange color nicely complements the fall foliage. Yes, this is a dish that can easily be romanticized when made in the fall, much like a nice cup of thick hot chocolate in the winter. Now, let’s see if taste-wise, it is worth romanticizing.
This recipe was taken from the TikToker @breadbakebeyond. I would recommend the rest of the channel with its very well-shot instructional cooking videos. First, I started by adding the cherry tomatoes, a halved onion with the insides facing up for better browning, two garlic heads, a halved red pepper (skin side up) and olive oil to a deep casserole dish. Make sure to take the seeds out of the bell peppers before adding them to the dish.
I thought of using cherry tomatoes instead of traditionally-used large round tomatoes. These give it a sweeter taste, whereas many other recipes will add sugar and use vine-ripened tomatoes. Both work but I think this saves time, and you know we love timesaving on this column. Generously season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Cook at 400˚F for 45-50 minutes. When I saw I had to cook vegetables in a hot oven for so long, I got nervous about burning them. However, only the tops will brown, and this contributes to the smoky flavor, complemented by the chili flakes for extra heat.
When I was waiting, I assembled the grilled cheese using a nice sourdough loaf, which is perfect for achieving a brown buttery crust. I used sharp cheddar cheese and provolone. In retrospect, I would go heavier on the cheddar and not use provolone at all. Given that these are the quintessential college sandwiches, I trust that all of you have perfected a version of your ideal grilled cheese. I have seen many different techniques to make grilled cheese, such as adding mayo to each outer side for perfect browning, cheddar/taco blend combinations and even using up to a half-stick of butter.
Make sure to check your vegetables five to 10 minutes before they are done to see that they have not browned to the point of burning. Many ovens radiate heat differently, so this could change the cooking of the veggies. Take them out and add them to a food processor or preferably a blender which will create a thin soup. My blender broke so I used a food processor, which resulted in a chunkier soup. This might be your preference, but I like mine thinner. Along with the vegetables, be sure to add your heavy cream as well. The recipe uses some basil, which you can definitely add, though I did not.
Now to make the soup in a pot, add the pureed vegetables to a boiling pot at medium-low heat and add the water. Let this simmer for 10 minutes. Make sure it is simmering; otherwise, increase the heat to medium. This is so the water boils out and does not make the soup too thin. Throw in your grated parmesan cheese all at once. Add more water or heavy cream to adjust thickness, and season with salt and pepper for taste. For additional seasoning, you can add paprika, oregano, thyme, bay leaves or even nutmeg. My tip for spicing is to start in moderation and get used to tasting food a lot while adding spices in. In the case of cooking, it is best to get permission from your taste buds and then ask for forgiveness.
I really enjoyed this recipe. For one, it was a perfect pick-me-up from feeling sick. Also, it kept things simple and used nature’s ingredients— the veggies —to flavor the bulk of the dish. I love when you get earthy tones in a soup and that natural cure-all feeling. As I said before, I do wish the veggies were chopped finer from the processor, but that depends on the equipment you are working with. This is also inexpensive and can feed three to four people comfortably. All in all, this is super delicious and comfort food material for sure!
Ingredients:
- One red bell pepper
- One large white onion
- Two garlic heads
- One tablespoon salt
- One tablespoon black pepper
- One teaspoon red chili flakes
- One sourdough loaf
- Cheddar Cheese in slices
- One-quarter cup of parmesan Cheese
- One-half of cup water
- Three-quarters cup of heavy cream
- Two tablespoon olive oil
Price: $33.01
Rating: 4/5
Slay! 😛😛😛