History: This dish, of Spanish origin finds a common ancestor with a traditional gazpacho which was eaten hot or cold. The recipe first debuted officially in 1857 in a cookbook by Eliza Leslie. The dish was common in the Andalucia region as well as Portugal. Its wild popularity has made it a favorite worldwide and I associate it with cold autumn and wintery evenings.
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
½ yellow onion
6 cloves garlic
1-2 bundles of vine tomatoes
1 pack of grape tomatoes
8 oz (1/2 pint) heavy cream
3 cups chicken stock
Parmesan cheese to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
Roughly chop the following: tomatoes (I remove the seeds), onion, garlic (recipe says 6 cloves, but go for it, add that garlic, the more the better) , and red pepper (does not matter how big or small the pieces are). Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit until soft and the edges begin to blacken (check oven every twenty mins and stir… please do this, don’t make the same mistake as me and cook it for too long and dry it out, learn from me and my dried out vegies).
In a soup pot, pour the oven roasted indigents and cook for a few mins. Add the chicken stock and cook down for a bit (don’t you love these precise directions?). Add the cream! (you can add as much as you want, but don’t dilute it and make a cream sauce with tomato accents…) Sometimes I add some butter for fun if I want to raise my cholesterol (not in the listed ingredients but I tend to add butter to everything because why not). Now EMULSIFY until perfection.
Throw in that parmesan cheese (literally add as much as you want because there is no limit to cheese…ever…). Oh yes, put that heat on low at this point. Go grab that fresh basil and chop it up and toss it into the soup. (P.S. like cheese, there is no limit to basil… ever, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise). You can strain this soup at the end if you don’t like chunks.
Serve it in a bowl topped with parmesan cheese and basil (once again, no limit). Make an amazing grilled cheese (yeah not offering that recipe, bread plus cheese, you can figure it out). Dip the grilled cheese in the soup and enjoy on a nice rainy day… or any day you crave this soup.
Official Statement: Today you made a tomato soup seasoned red peppers and garlic, topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and basil.
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