Soup Love

One of the first things I loved about my husband was his love of soup. Not a lot of guys are that into soup, but this one loves just about any food in liquid form. When we were just acquaintances he served a cold chipotle tomato soup at a dinner party.  It was a very bold move. While most people polity stirred it around and choked back a few insanely spicy spoonfuls, I ate it up, stars in my eyes.

Now that we're married, we make soup together a lot. We both just can't get enough of the wonderful feeling of a piping hot, flavorful, nutrient-packed broth making its way down our insides and warming us through. The healthy-conscious side of me loves how many veggies you can pack into one dish - and how many bowls you can eat without feeling guilty. I still prefer chunkier stew types and he favors silky purees but we've both leaned to appreciate the spectrum. A perk of our union was inheriting his immersion blender, which has opened up a whole new world of soupy goodness.

These days Dave's repertoire has expanded and he's learned to be a little less heavy-handed with the spices, but he still has a weakness for one store-bought soup. His favorite soup chain, Hale and Hearty Soup used to make a wonderful Tomato Cheddar and whenever we're back in New York he wistfully scours the sandwich boards of every outpost we pass, hoping his beloved will be the soup of the day. It's been a while, however, since we've actually had a sighting, and I'm starting to think they may have discontinued it entirely. So I decided to learn to make it for him. 

Re-creating a tomato soup wasn't much of a challenge, and after searching a few copycat recipes on the internet I concluded that with the right mix of cream and cheese he'd be over the moon. I had been saving some old Gouda rinds for a moment like this, and after sawing off the waxy parts I threw them into the broth. Half an hour later I had some tough, cheesy bits floating around but an incredibly richly flavored broth.

And instead of keeping this recipe a surprise, I decided to involve the connoisseur himself. I wanted to use as little cheese as possible (both to keep it somewhat healthy and for my own enzyme deficiencies), so I stirred in small chunks of cheddar bit by bit, soliciting expert opinion along the way. After a few rounds, he pronounced it almost perfect. I seasoned it with salt, and he was in love.

Tomato Cheddar Soup

Inspired by Hale and Hearty Soup

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Several stalks of celery, diced

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used Better than Bullion)

1 28-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes

1-2 tsp dried thyme

cheese rinds - gouda, parmesan, or other aged cheese *be sure to remove wax before melting!

1/2 cup half-and-half or cream

6-8 oz cubed cheddar, or more to taste

Salt, to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and celery until onions are translucent. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add thyme and cheese rinds and let simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour, until tomatoes are falling apart and cheese rinds are moist and spongy (see picture above). Remove cheese rinds and puree with an immersion blender (or cool and pour into standing blender). Add cream or half-and-half, and stir in cheddar bits until desired taste is achieved. Be sure to salt along the way as you will probably get to the right flavor with less cheese needed.

Enjoy with a nice slice of toast and your valentine.

The Sometime Vegetarian

Growing up with a vegetarian father, I learned to appreciate the many virtues of vegetarian cooking. While I will never support a diet that categorically excludes any food group, I do have to admit that vegetarian food has its virtues. It’s much lower in calories and fat (unless you fill that meatless hole with cheese), and can often be prepared without a trip to the store (beans tend to have a longer shelf/fridge life than meat…). My mother is the master of delicious, healthy vegetarian meals that can be prepared in the time between coming home from work at 5:30 and feeding her family of five by 7. I’ve shaved even more prep time by adapting this recipe for my beloved slow cooker. And made it lowbrow by substituting out her vibrant but more demanding onion cilantro relish for a handful of crushed Fritos. I’ll let you decide which you prefer.

Vegetarian Chili

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
2 15-oz can kidney beans
2 chicken bullion cubes in 1 c. water (use 5 cups if cooking stovetop)
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 oz corn
Optional: shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, Fritos, onion relish (diced red onion, cilantro, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, tossed with white vinegar and olive oil)

1. Spray or oil bottom of crockpot. Toss onions, garlic, and spices and pour in bottom of pot. (If not using crockpot, sautee all together for this step).

2. Add tomatoes, beans, broth. Cook on HIGH for 9 hours (Stovetop: bring to a boil, cook about an hour.)

3. After 7-8 hours, add red peppers and corn. (For stovetop, cook additional 45 min).

4. Serve with grated cheese and/or the topping of your choice. The pictured chili is extra special as our building’s vending machine only had BBQ-flavored Fritos. Did I mention there was no grocery trip involved in the making of this recipe?