BUFFALO MTN GRILLE’S TOMATO BASIL BISQUE

Here’s yet another tomato soup recipe, and this one is fairly simple and pretty good. I like it topped with Parmesan cheese shavings (just take a wide vegetable peeler and scrape down the side of a piece of Parmesan to get a wide shaving), but you can top the soup however you like – with croutons, chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, or a drizzle of cream. I used a mix of fresh tomatoes (which I roasted) and canned diced tomatoes. The excess soup went into the freezer, waiting for a cold winter night.

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Buffalo Mtn Grille’s Tomato Basil Bisque Printable Recipe Source: grouprecipes.com Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1 large onion 2 celery ribs 3 garlic cloves 3 Tbsp. EVOO or butter 3 (14.5 oz.) cans tomatoes (or mix with fresh roasted tomatoes, as I did) 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 small can tomato paste 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 cup fresh basil 1/2 cup heavy cream Sea salt and pepper to taste Coarsely chop onion, celery & garlic. Sauté onion and celery in EVOO over medium heat in large skillet about 5 minutes, or till onions are translucent. Add garlic, sauté additional minute. Add tomatoes, broth, paste, parsley, red pepper flakes and basil and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low heat and cook 10 minutes, covered. Uncover pot and cook additional 10 minutes. Puree with hand-held immersion blender or in batches in blender. Stir in cream, salt and pepper. Top with croutons, shavings of Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and/or chopped tomatoes, if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

There is something homey and comforting about soup, especially tomato soup. I love trying different tomato soup recipes, and when I saw this one on 101 Cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. (Since we're having a glut of tomatoes from our two plants right now, it was an easy decision. This is also the best tomato crop we've had in years. The tomatoes are almost as good as Jersey tomatoes, and that is saying something!)

I'll tell you upfront, this is not a fast soup -- if you want a faster recipe, try Fire-Roasted Tomato Bisque, or Creamy Tomato Soup. This soup has no cream or milk in it, and it doesn't need any. It tastes great as is. The only changes I made were to add fresh thyme sprigs, jalapeno pepper and1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chile pepper. This is our new favorite tomato soup recipe.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 5 large tomatoes, quartered, seeds squeezed or pushed out with fingers
7-8 fresh thyme sprigs
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
3 medium yellow onions, peeled, quartered
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and halved
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
5 plump cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock, if preferred
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. dried, ground chipotle chile pepper (McCormick)
Preheat oven to 375F and position racks in middle of oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or grease with oil. Arrange tomatoes, skin-side down, on one baking sheet. Toss the peppers and onions with olive oil and put them on the other baking sheet, skin-side down for the peppers. Give both sheets a light showering of salt and lay the thyme sprigs over all.
Bake until the tomatoes start to collapse and the onions start to brown and caramelize, about 1 hour. You may have to turn the onions if they start to get dark brown on the edges. Set the timer for 30 minutes, then put the garlic cloves in. If you put them in too soon, they'll burn.

If you do a good job of squeezing the seeds out of the tomatoes, you won't have to pour off the tomato juice about half-way through. The first time I made this soup, I had to pour off juice several times, because I left the seeds in. Subsequently, I found that by squeezing the seeds out first, and the accompanying membrane-liquid, the tomatoes don't give off so much juice as they roast. If you get a lot of juice and don't pour it off, the tomatoes will steam and not roast. If you do pour off juice, save it and add it back into the soup after it's pureed.

Remove veggies from oven when done and let cool on wire rack till you can handle them. Peel the garlic. It's up to you whether you peel the tomatoes and peppers. I did, but the peel has flavor and if you're going to puree the soup any way, you won't notice them in the soup. Dump all the veggies into a 3-quart heavy pot and puree with an immersion blender. If you don't have one, you'll have to use a food processor or blender and do it in batches. Pour the broth in, adding a little at a time till you get the soup to its desired consistency. Add seasonings and taste to adjust. Yield: 1 quart pulp without broth. (This freezes beautifully and will take up less space in the freezer if you do not add the broth until you thaw it. What a great fall/winter treat to reach in the freezer and pull out your soup for dinner -- just add broth, heat and serve. Now that's easy!)

TOP CHEF HOSEA ROSENBERG'S SMOKEY TOMATO SOUP

Bravo TV has a
website that lists all the top chef recipes, lots of them. Season 5 winner, Hosea Rosenberg, is credited with this great tomato soup recipe. It was too complex for me to follow all of it -- not that I couldn't, I just didn't have the time. I left off the grits croutons, but I bet they were great. And I didn't do the cilantro oil -- instead I just garnished with cilantro.

I made other changes, according to my personal preferences: Instead of cream, I used fat-free half and half. I decided to roast the Roma tomatoes, to bring out more flavor. But instead of roasting the corn, I just used an ear of leftover corn, and scraped the kernels and milk off the cob. None of these changes could ruin this fantastic soup. The smokey flavor, spiciness and the addition of shrimp and corn makes this soup wonderful. Here's a word of caution: add the chipotle in Adobo sparingly at first, and test to see if you need to add more. I find the chipotles in Adobo bitter-hot, which I don't care for, so I usually use less than called for.

Top Chef Hosea Rosenberg's Smokey Tomato Soup
Adapted Version
Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
6 Roma tomatoes, halved
6-8 fresh thyme sprigs
sea salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. canola or olive oil, divided use
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chipotle in Adobo sauce (I found this to be too much; start with 2 tsp. and taste before adding more.)
1 cup Land o' Lakes fat-free half and half, OR cream, if preferred
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 ears cooked corn, kernels and milk scraped off cob
12 small freshly cooked shrimp (saute in 1 Tbsp. oil if preferred)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 350F. Halve tomatoes and place in large pie plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; top with thyme sprigs. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. oil; bake 30-35 minutes, or till very tender. Cool slightly.

In 3-quart heavy pot, saute onions and garlic in 2 Tbsp. oil over medium heat till soft. Add tomatoes with all their juices and the thyme sprigs; chipotle, broth, and paprika. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more chipotle, salt and/or pepper, if needed. Strain through cheesecloth, discarding solids. Add half and half and bring back to simmer. Simmer 10 minutes; check seasonings again, adding what may be necessary. Stir in corn and shrimp; garnish with chopped cilantro.

Yield: 4-5 servings

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP

This recipe has no photo -- it was lost when our old computer was reformatted. My blogging friend, Donna, from My Tasty Treasures, uses this super-simple and quick recipe often. I have to agree with Donna: this recipe is good for a standby fave. There are no exotic ingredients, and you don't have to think hard when you make this. It's great for a no-brainer day -- and we all have those, don't we?

I added some basil to the ingredients, since basil and tomato are inseparable for me, and used dried. It's not that I prefer dried herbs -- my garden herbs weren't ready yet when I made this soup. I think fresh Greek oregano would be wonderful in this soup, but I would still have to add some basil; just can't help it. I also upped the half and half and used fat-free. In tomato soups, I like to cut the acidity of the tomatoes with a milk product, and I prefer using low-fat or fat-free products when I can. Lastly, I subbed olive oil for butter because I like to avoid butter when possible. In savory dishes, most of the time, olive oil can be subbed.

Creamy Tomato Soup, adapted slightly
Source: My Tasty Treasures
Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1-3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried Turkish oregano (fresh oregano may be subbed -- use 2-3 sprigs)
1/2 tsp. dried Mediterranean basil (fresh basil may be subbed -- use 5-6 leaves)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fat-free half and half
(If using fresh herbs, you will need additional for garnish.)

Heat the oil in a 3-quart heavy pot over medium heat; add onions and cook till transparent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook additional minute. Add tomatoes, broth, herbs and about 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer; cook till thickened, about 45 minutes. (I used my immersion blender at this point to smooth everything out.) Slowly add half and half, stirring constantly. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish soup with fresh oregano or basil and serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, if desired.

FIRE-ROASTED TOMATO BISQUE

This recipe comes courtesy of Food & Wine, November 2002. I've made it several times, and it's always good. Usually, I use Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, because I like the quality. The quality of your tomatoes will directly impact the final taste of your soup. I've been avoiding Hunt's, because their tomatoes are always so acidic. For some reason, when they came out with their fire-roasted tomatoes, I wanted to try them. Looks like Hunt's got it's act together, because these tomatoes were a better quality than what they've put out in the past.
I made a few changes in this recipe, like taking out the flour, reducing the fat and changing the sugar to honey. Instead of chopping the veggies by hand, I threw everything in the food processor and hit the pulse button for about twenty seconds. We had some with dinner last night, and I froze a quart jar without the half and half. When I thaw it out, I'll heat the soup and then add the half and half at the end. I don't know what it is about soup; I can eat it year round and always feel comforted.

Fire-Roasted Tomato Bisque
INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbsp butter (I subbed Smart Balance buttery spread)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a Vidalia)
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 cups low-sodium, nonfat chicken broth
Two 14-1/2 oz. cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. honey
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup Land o'Lakes fat-free half and half
1/2 cup garlic or cheese croutons for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS: In a 3-quart heavy pot, heat the Smart Balance over medium heat. Add the chopped veggies and cook, stirring occasionally, till veggies are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except half and half and croutons) and continue to cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree soup with an immersion blender, right in the pot, or transfer to a blender, in two batches, till almost smooth. (If you only need two servings, here is where you freeze a quart for later.) Return puree to pot, add the half and half and heat briefly, taking care not to boil the soup. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with croutons and serve. Yield: 6 servings

TOMATO BASIL BISQUE

A friend gave me a can of imported Italian tomatoes, so I made one of my favorite soup recipes, tomato basil bisque. I've been making this for years. It's pretty forgiving. You can put carrots and celery in or leave them out, you can put more onions in, or less. It'll still taste good. As long as you have good-quality tomatoes. You can make it with just cream cheese, or with cream cheese and cream or half-and-half.

Tomato Basil Bisque
1/2 -3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery (optional)

1 large garlic clove, crushed and chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrot (optional)

1/4 cup olive oil or Smart Balance buttery spread

1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes and juice

1 quart chicken broth

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1-2 cups fresh good-quality tomatoes if you have them -- these are optional

1/2 tsp. sea salt (or more, if you prefer)

1/8 tsp. white pepper (or black if you prefer)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1-1/4 Tbsp. dried)

1 Tbsp. fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried) (optional)

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried) (optional)

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried) (optional)

2 bay leaves

4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened, cut in cubes

12 oz. fat free half and half

Saute the chopped vegetables and garlic over medium heat in the oil till golden and transparent. Add the tomatoes, broth and tomato paste, chopping the tomatoes as they go in and stirring everything well to combine. Bring to a low boil, add the seasonings and herbs, stir again, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour, checking it now and then to be sure it isn't sticking on the bottom. Add the Neufchatel cheese, and stir till combined. Turn heat off, and be sure soup is not boiling when you add the half and half, or it couldl curdle, especially if it's not Land o' Lakes.

Garnish the soup as desired (chopped chives, sprigs of parsley or basil, croutons, or sour cream). I like mine plain. You can puree this in the blender or food processor if you like smooth soup. I leave it slightly chunky because I like that texture. This will give you about 2 to 2-1/2 quarts of soup and it freezes wonderfully! I usually freeze one quart and keep one quart in the fridge which we eat up within a few days. You can also serve it plain without the cream cheese and cream if you prefer. Use the very best tomatoes you can afford.