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Monday, September 7, 2009

using your garden: roasted tomato soup and soft garlic knots

i'm only speaking from semi-vicarious experience here since my garden consists of a fairly prolific basil plant and a zucchini plant that is finally yielding its 1st two fruits - and they are both in pots on my front porch (yeah apartment living!). but i do occasionally yield the fruits of my mother-in-law's garden when i visit her. she last sent me home with 3 bags of tomatoes, a bunch of zucchini and some crookneck. clearly i had to make something yummy with all of those tomatoes (okay, everything i made last week had tomatoes) so thanks, meghan from you're gonna bake it afterall, for posting this delicious soup and the garlic knots that i made with them. i seriously felt like i was eating in a restaurant. too good for words.

so if you have a garden, please, use it. i'm jealous. do it for me.

next time i'm going to try it with half milk and half chicken broth to see if a creamy version is just as good. i bet it will be. mmmm....

roasted tomato soup and soft garlic knots
from you're gonna bake it, my changes included
6 servings

3 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half and insides removed
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 pinches dried thyme
4 cups chicken stock

1. preheat oven to 400F. toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet covered in foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.


2. in a large stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until the onions start to brown. add the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

3. use an immersion blender (or food processor) to puree the soup. serve with garlic knots below.

soft garlic knots

for the dough:
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast (AKA rapid rise)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (i used a little less - probably 1)
1/4 cup milk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

For the glaze:
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1. Make the dough: combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a large food processor. process for a few seconds to mix. add the olive oil, milk and water and turn on until ingredients have formed a ball (it won't take long, maybe 30 seconds). (can also do in a kitchenaid stand mixer or the like - here's the link)

2. knead the dough on a lightly floured surface to form a smooth, elastic dough, adding additional water or flour as needed.

3. place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover with lightly oiled/sprayed plastic wrap. allow to rise for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in bulk.

4. divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. roll each into a 10-inch long rope and tie into a knot. take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center.

5. transfer the shaped rolls to a baking stone or a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy. meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.

6. make the glaze: finely mince the garlic (or use a garlic press). mix the melted butter and italian seasoning.

7. brush the glaze onto the shaped rolls. bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.

4 comments:

Meghan said...

I'm so glad you liked these as much as I did! I think half milk/half broth would be fantastic! I am excited to make this soup again soon :)

aaron wilkinson said...

I love this soup! MMMMM...

Anonymous said...

K. I'm working on this right now. Great timing with this recipe! I have a million tomatoes from my parents that are just waiting for this soup. I have also made a similar recipe with roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes and then mixed with a can of tomatoes. It's another yummy one.

Mark & Bek said...

Thanks for making this for me. I made it tonight because I loved it so much!

healthy cooking on a budget

disclaimer: i don't claim to be an expert on cooking, weight loss or even healthy eating, but i do love to cook, find healthy, taste bud-friendly tricks and most of all, i love to eat!

qualifications: what qualifies me to blog on cooking healthy on a small budget? well, as my husband is still a student, my budget is not what you'd call large. and as for the healthy part, when i was 10 i was diagnosed with pancreatitus - a disease that doesn't effect me much anymore unless i eat food that is too greasy or has too much fat (in which case, well, let's just say i get really sick). this had steered my experience and limited cooking expertise in a health-conscious direction.

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