"Orange" Soup... *ahem* I mean, Tomato Soup

Recently I shared memories of lunches reading with my brother and mom while we ate soup. As soon as I got my Blendtec, I set about creating an adult version of the "white" soup, or Creamy Mushroom Soup, I favored those childhood afternoons. I figured I might as well delve into reverse engineering my mom & brother's favorite, too: "orange" soup, or Creamy Tomato.

This time I started simple, since that's what ended up working previously. You know what - simple was all I needed! In the Blendtec, this fresh soup is just about as easy as opening a can of Campbell's. Using a standard blender adds only minimal extra work.

Fresh & Easy Tomato Soup

Amounts for 1 serving. Multiply amounts by number of servings you'd like - it's best fresh, so try to avoid leftovers. Only blend as much as 2, MAYBE three servings at once, depending on the size of your blender carafe. Blend additional batches for more servings.

1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base dissolved into 1 cup hot water (or 1 cup of your favorite vegetable stock)
2 whole roma tomatoes, woody nub removed (for a standard blender, chop tomatoes)
Up to 1 tsp. agave nectar (depending on how sweet the tomatoes are - at the height of the summer tomato season, you won't need any sweetener)

Place all ingredients into blender and secure lid tightly. Select "Soup" option on the Blendtec to get hot, delicious soup straight from the blender. For a standard blender, puree until completely smooth, then transfer to microwave safe bowl or a pot on the stove to heat.

Variations:
For a more complex flavor, try adding one or more of the following ingredients. Amounts given for one serving; multiply for additional servings.

3 leaves fresh basil
1 strip red bell pepper
Small wedge yellow or sweet onion
Small wedge avocado
1/2 inch cube of cheddar cheese (or equivalent of shredded for a standard blender)

Cheater's Cioppino

This is not real cioppino. But it is pretty darn close, and pretty darn good.

Cioppino is a tomato-based seafood stew invented in San Francisco more than a century ago. It can contain clams, mussels, shrimp, white fish, and any other of the day's catch. And crab. Though it doesn't have to by definition, I am here proclaiming that it should always have crab. And I mean ALWAYS. Crab is sort of the point. And guess what - it's Dungeness crab season here in Northern California! 'Tis the season, indeed.

I grew up eating this Italian-American soup homemade by my mom from a recipe she procured on Fisherman's Wharf back in the '70s. From stove to table, it is an EXPERIENCE. You make a sauce from scratch in which you boil crab and a variety of other crustaceans and mollusks still in the shell. Meanwhile, cover the table in newsprint, fill it with crusty sourdough bread, giant bowls, soup spoons, crab crackers, tiny fish forks, and rolls of paper towels. Tie dishtowels around your neck, throw another in your lap, and you are ready for a feast. Crack, peel, slurp, and repeat, juices dripping off your elbows all the while. Just toss the shells right into the center to be folded up and tossed out with the stained paper. The kitchen (and your hands) smell like seafood for days. It is truly incredible.

But this ordeal is just not feasible as a regular meal. Is there a way to enjoy cioppino without it becoming a whole day event, or involving a trip to the Wharf? (FYI, we love the cioppino at Alioto's - just in case you are making that trip.) Could I create a facsimile easy and quick enough for a weeknight without losing the classic flavor?

Why yes, yes I could. As you know, I've been using V8 a lot as a soup base. I employed that method again for a rich, flavorful, and nutritious base right out of the bottle. I added the same vegetables and aromatics used in the traditional version, but included much more than the usual skimpy amounts. I knew a lot of delicious seafood flavor would be lost by not stewing shells and fish in the broth. I reclaimed some of this flavor by adding clam juice. Finally, I used fresh crab and shrimp meat and canned clams for the seafood - no messing with shells. What came out was a supremely flavorful dish that tasted a lot like the cioppino I grew up with. Plus, with about 300 calories, three servings of vegetables, and tons of protein in every bowl, there's plenty of nutrition and zero guilt. Sure, it doesn't taste exactly like the original, and the whole spectacle of in-the-shell seafood is a lot of fun on the right night, but I have made this dish easy and fast for anytime.

Cheater's Cioppino

I highly recommend using Snow's brand clam products. I eat a lot of clams and this is my favorite brand when I go canned instead of fresh. Serves 3.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeds and white parts removed, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups V8 vegetable juice
1 8oz bottle Snow's clam juice
2 6.5oz cans Snow's chopped clams, juices drained and reserved (should be about 1 cup juices)
1/2lb fresh crab meat, preferably Dungeness
1/4lb fresh cooked bay shrimp
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high. Add onion, pepper, and celery. Sautee for a few minutes until onion is translucent and soft. Add garlic and sautee another 30 seconds or so, until aromatic. Stir in tomatoes, V8, bottled clam juice, and reserved juice from canned clams. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in shrimp, clams, and parsley. Finally, gently fold in crab - show care not to break up lumps of meat too much. Simmer for another 5 minutes, just until seafood is hot. Serve hot with crusty sourdough or baguette, if desired.

Another Hearty Soup

And thus continues my experiments with using V8 as a base for soup. This time just a cup gives a rich twist to a classic beef barley soup, just in time for a nasty head cold. I've been trying so many home remedies, but nothing works like homemade soup and a steaming mug of ginger tea with honey and lemon.

Again, I used vegetables I had on hand in the crisper, but this would be equally as good with peas, corn, green beans, or zucchini in any combination instead of, or along with, kale and broccoli.


Tomatoey Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

America's Test Kitchen asserts that whole sirloin tip steaks make the best beef for soup, or alternately blade or flank steak. I used very affordable chuck stew beef and it turned out terrifically. This makes a large pot of soup, enough for about 8 large servings. It could be easily halved.

1lb beef, trimmed of fat and gristle and chopped into half-inch pieces
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery heart, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup V8
1 can diced tomatoes, with liquid 
3 packed cups kale, prepared*
2 cups small broccoli florets
4 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup barley


Marinate beef in soy sauce for 15 minutes. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes or until onion starts to turn translucent. Remove vegetables to a bowl. Add beef, with marinade, to pot and brown, stirring often, for 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add red wine vinegar plus 1 Tbs of the V8 and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Combine all ingredients in pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a strong simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is soft and vegetables are tender. 


As with most soups, this is great leftover after all the flavors have had time to meld. The barley will continue to soak up moisture overnight and get puffier, which makes it even better. Keep extra beef broth on hand to add to leftovers to replace lost liquid. 


*To prep a head of kale, remove and discard the toughest stems and ribs and coarsely chop remaining leaves into bite-sized pieces.

Harvest Tomato Soup

I have been CRAVING autumn vegetable soups like CRAZY, but San Francisco's Indian Summer weather has just not been cooperating. Temps in the 80s put a damper on hovering over the stove or crock-pot or roasting vegetables in the oven. We'll occasionally get a break in the heat, just enough to get my hopes up and start planning a grocery list, but every time it turns out it's just teasing me. Well, yesterday did not get nearly as hot as forecasted, and it even cooled off after the sun went down, so I decided to wait no longer and pounced, making a quick, simple vegetable soup to take advantage of this window of opportunity, however brief. I dare to hope that Fall is really here, because now my head is swimming with all the soups I want to make and I don't want to stop now I've started.

I took the inspiration for this soup from the nerdiest of places, which makes me even happier about it. Wil Wheaton of Star Trek and Internet fame recently posted the recipe for a soup he made to combat a nasty case of sinusitis. It fit all the qualifications I desired for last night's meal: quick, full of whatever vegetables looked good in the market and that I had in the crisper, and with something different from my usual recipes to inspire me. The difference that caught my eye: he used tomato juice as the base. Of course I tweaked the recipe and made it my own, and I encourage you to do the same. This soup can be extremely versatile. I already have big plans for other ways I can use V8 (which I used instead of tomato juice for added flavor and nutrition) to pump up other soups.

The husband man said it was probably the healthiest thing he's eaten in 5 years, yet he still enjoyed it. Of course, he said it would be better with barley (his response to any barley-less soup) and pork (his response to any porkless dish of any sort). I do think some ham, pancetta, or bacon would be great in this, but I was in the mood for a veggie-only soup. I also have an idea brewing for a slightly less tomatoey beef barley version I'm sure will please him. Big plans, my friends, big plans.


Harvest Tomato Soup

Wil's version was completely vegan. Omit broth and replace with water or vegetable broth to take it back to vegan status. Serves 4 as an entree, 6 as a starter.

1 Tbsp oil
1 med onion, chopped
4 stalks celery hearts, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
2 cups small broccoli florets
2 cobs corn, kernels removed
3 packed cups prepared* kale
1 can tomatoes, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, with liquid
3 cups V8
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions, celery, and carrots for 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. 

Bring to a boil. Reduce to a strong simmer and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. 

*To prep a head of kale, remove and discard the toughest stems and ribs and coarsely chop remaining leaves into bite-sized pieces.

Rotisserie and Wine

I'm a huge fan of PBS cooking shows, but Food Network shows are hugely lost on me. I find them more about the star than the food, and I have trouble trusting many of the stars after disappointing experiences at restaurants they gave raves and attempting recipes they've created.* So I had no clue who Tyler Florence was when someone suggested his new restaurant when we asked for a dinner recommendation in Napa.

Well, I know who he is now and have complete confidence in his abilities. Wow. I say again, wow.

Tyler Florence's Rotisserie & Wine is about a year old and is right next door to another favorite Napa eatery, Morimoto.** My takeaway - fresh, simple ingredients perfectly prepared. I repeat, perfection. And totally reasonably priced considering this was a completely 5 star experience. Allow me to share with you this perfection as best I can without you tasting it yourself.

Complimentary Cornbread Sticks with salted honey butter: Warm, soft on the inside, just crisp on the outside, salty, sweet, and buttery. I mean, they left no stone unturned, nailing every aspect of such a dish you could want. Quite possibly my favorite item of a night filled with fantastic items. My southern family would weep from the beauty and simplicity.

$4 Happy Hour Deviled Eggs: Smooth yolk filling topped with chives and red onions for flavor and crunch. Very good, but possibly my least favorite dish simply relative to it's stellar neighbors. But I may just be spoiled by the crab deviled eggs with housemade Old Bay seasoning at Nettie's. The husband man loved these.

$4 Happy Hour Spiced Snap Peas: Warm in temperature and seasonings. The first snap peas to make me doubt my own sesame soy recipe. How can something so simple be so delicious, and so difficult to recreate? I have no idea how to even begin to crack this recipe. But I will try.

Heirloom Tomatoes with pickled red onions and basil in vinagraitte: Perfection. I can't say it enough. Such ripe tomatoes need little help, and this dish managed to compliment them without overpowering. The ultimate in summer freshness.

Mac & local cheeses: Do you all know of my deep, abiding love for a well-created mac & cheese? I am a snoot of the highest order on this point. It's not about fancy cheeses or oils, it's about balance. Fancy cheese and oils can add a lot, but only if wielded properly. Other than being the only dish on the table that required the addition of a sprinkling of salt, this mac accomplished that balance. Creamy cheese sauce that hasn't separated, coating the noodles with CHEESE instead of OIL. And it remained a sauce rather than turning into a loaf. The local cheeses chosen for the sauce also hit the right flavor balance - not too simple, nor too complex. The pasta not overcooked. Even the breadcrumbs were just right, adding crisp texture without adding too much flavor or starch to overwhelm what should be at center stage - the CHEESE, and the pasta.

Roasted Duck: The husband man and I have both eaten a lot of duck in our lifetimes. We started at a young age, with his father studying classic French culinary arts and my dad shooting many a waterfowl straight out of the sky. We both agree this dish is one of the best, if not THE best we've ever had. The seared breast so exceptional it even stood up to the tender yet charred confit leg. The lentils had me again lamenting my own attempts at similar dishes which pale in comparison. Savory, salty, cooked through without becoming mush. Such a concentration of pure, earthy flavor. Nothing in this dish muddled - the ingredients each highlighted individually. I almost want to cry thinking about it.

Peanut Butter Crisp: So not my usual dessert order, but a conversation about peanut butter had sparked a craving, and there this was on the menu. Oh, how thankful I am for that random craving. The husband man delighted in the wafery, chocolate covered "crisp" portion, but I found myself in utter disbelief over the housemade peanut butter ice cream. Never in my life has such a frozen dessert crossed my lips. A texture unbelievably creamy, and yet somehow at the same time chewy. It was like they creamed and then froze peanut butter fudge. Any preconceptions I've had about what makes a good ice cream have been shattered.

And, according to Wikipedia, this is Tyler Florence's fast food restaurant? I can't even begin to grasp the conceptualization that makes that statement possible. But if it's true, I can't wait to try his San Francisco slow food joint, Wayfare Tavern. Heck, even if it's untrue. I just want more of his food. In my mouth. Now.

*I've had successes, too, especially from Giada di Laurentiis and Ina Garten. Maybe it's more of a production style preference. 


**Do we count Morimoto as a PBS food guy from the original Iron Chef showings or as a Food Network guy from the Iron Chef America showings? Or as neither since the original predates showings on any American network? Or am I over thinking this?