Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar and Gruyere

I want to thank my granddaughter Ava and my favorite daughter-in-law Adrienne for this soup.  I
was asked to make a soup for Ava's "teachers appreciation lunch" and my first thought was to make one of my old reliable recipes.  I didn't think it would be a good idea to try something new (experimental) and risk Ava's entire education on a bad soup.

However, I took the risk.  This recipe is all mine and, in my opinion,  it turned out to be one of my best efforts.  I will be making this one often and it has inspired me to create the perfect grilled cheese sandwich to go with it.  It may take me a while to create that perfect sandwich, but the one I included this week is pretty darn good.  The original sandwich recipe was submitted by Sara Gretzmier to AllRecipies.com.  
---Enjoy

Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar and Gruyere

1.   Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in your soup pot
2. Add the shallots and sweat partially covered over a medium/high heat for about 20 minutes.*
3. Stir in the tomatoes, carrots, chicken broth, parsley and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree’ the soup with your immersion blender, or transfer it to a food processor or blender to puree’ and return the soup to the soup pot.
5. Add the cheddar and gruyere and stir until the cheese is completely melted
6. Whisk in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, or cilantro.

*Like onions, don't rush the shallots.  The taste emerges through long gentle cooking.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich 3 oz package cream cheese 1/2 cup lite mayonnaise  8 oz shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese 1/2 medium onion, sliced 1/2 tsp minced garlic 8 slices french bread Butter or margarine                                                                     1.  In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheese and garlic salt. Beat until smooth. 2.  In a small skillet, slowly saute" sliced onions until caramelized. 3.  Preheat a large skillet over med heat. Spread cheese mixture on 4 slices of bread, add the caramelized onions, then top with the other 4 slices of bread. 4.  Lightly butter both sides of each  sandwich.  Place sandwiches in the skillet and grill until golden brown on both sides turning once (about 4 minutes).

Soup Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1 medium shallot, diced 2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and quartered 1 carrot, chopped or shredded (1/2 cup shredded equals 1 med carrot) 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1/2 tsp thyme 1/3 cup sour cream (lite or low fat) 4 oz cheddar cheese, chopped or shredded 4 oz gruyere cheese, chopped or shredded salt and pepper to taste cilantro or thyme to garnish

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Diced Fennel Paired with Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Walnuts

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fennel and Butternut Squash with Apple and Walnut Soup

Bonus this week, two soups for the price of one, my first soup pairing and my first "Guest Chef".  Oliver Delunas spent most of the afternoon with grandpa in the kitchen helping me prepare these two very tasty soups.  Two soups served together in the same bowl make a dramatic presentation.  For these duets to work, both soups should be the same consistency, the flavors should compliment each other, and they should be different colors.

There are two methods to do this.  You can simultaneously pour equal amounts of soup into opposite sides of a soup bowl (it doesn't matter if the line swerves a little bit).  Or, fill a warmed soup bowl with about 3/4 cup of one soup, then pour about 1/4 cup of the second soup in the center of the bowl.  If necessary, thin one soup to match the consistency of the other.  This week I have chosen Roasted Parsnip Soup with Diced Fennel and Butternut squash with Apple and Walnuts for this pairing.
---Enjoy

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple  Walnuts Ingredients 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 1/2 cups butternut squash cubed 3 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth 1 apple, finely chopped 1/4 cup toasted walnuts 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup low fat sour cream or yogurt Salt and white pepper to taste 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fennel Ingredients 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil  2 lbs med parsnips, cut in quarters lengthwise and coarsely chopped 6 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth 1/2 cup low fat sour-cream 1/2 cup dry sherry (optional) salt & pepper to taste 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples &Walnuts Heat the extra virgin olive oil in your soup pot over a medium heat Add the onions, apples and cubed butternut squash Partially cover and sweat for 45 minutes over a medium-low heat stirring ocassionally Add the low sodium vegaetable broth, the roasted walnuts, and the nutmeg. With your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (if you do not have an immersion blender, use blender or food processor). Whisk in the low-fat sour cream or yogurt.  Season to taste with salt and pepper Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes Stir in the flat-leaf parsley and serve Broil until the cheese is melted

Directions for Parsnip Soup Heat 2 tbs of olive oil into a soup pot over a med-high heat.   Add the parsnips, turning to coat with oil.  Partially cover the pot and sweat the parsnips over medium-low heat until they are tender and lightly browned, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Pour the broth into the soup pot and stir to scrape up any browned bits of the parsnips and add the fennel. With your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (if you do not have an immersion blender, use blender or food processor). Heat the soup through and whisk in the low fat sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Broccoli Almond Soup

This is one of Sharon's favorite soups and it is really easy to make.  I also shared this with our friend Vickie, and she serves it at her house on a regular basis.

My thanks go out, as they often do, to Joanna Pruess and Lauren Braun for the original recipe.

---Enjoy

Broccoli Almond Soup

1. Heat 6 tbs of chicken broth in a soup pot and saute' the onions until soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.  
2. Reserve 4 small florets of the broccoli for the garnish and add the rest of the broccoli to the onions and gently sweat the broccoli until it is soft.
3. Transfer the mixture to either a blender or food processor and add the almonds. Puree or use your immersion blender in the soup pot and puree until smooth.
4. Stir in the coriander, salt and white pepper to taste, and more broth if the soup is too thick.  Simmer until heated through, ladle, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and broccoli floret and serve.

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TO BLANCH ALMONDS YOU WILL NEED Pot of water Raw unsalted almonds, skin on Paper towels Colander or strainer Bring small pot of water to a boil. Place your raw almonds into the water.Let them boil for exactly one minute. Don't boil for any longer than 60 seconds or your almonds will start to soften. Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them. Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel.  You'll notice that the skins will be slightly shriveled. Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skin from them.  Be careful, if you squeeze too hard they'll shoot across the room. Once you remove the skins, let the almonds dry off completely.  Discard the skins. Now the almonds are blanched and ready to use in your recipe. Thanks to Tori Avey for the blanched almonds.  www.toriavey.co

Ingredients 1 lb broccoli, cut into florets 1 medium onion thinly sliced 2 ounces blanched almonds, toasted         until lightly browned 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander Salt and white pepper to taste 4 tablespoons low fat sour cream or           plain yogurt

Roasted Red Pepper & Paprika Soup with Cilantro Cream

I forgot how good this soup was.  I started with a recipe written by Amelia Hunt in Lyme, Connecticut.  I experimented with some different spices and added the Cilantro Cream (that turned out to be a really good idea).  This soup is good both hot or cold, but this time of year, mine is piping hot.
---Enjoy

Roasted Red Pepper & Paprika Sauce with Cilantro Cream

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat.
• Add the onions, celery, garlic and chilies, cover and sweat until soft, but not brown; 10-20 minutes.
• Add the paprika and cook about another minute.
• Add the fire roasted bell peppers, low sodium chicken broth, potatoes, basil, thyme and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
• Either transfer the mixture to a blender, food processor  or use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat or let cool to room temprature.  
• Ladel into soup bowels and garnish with Cilantro Cream.                                                             

Note; If you are using fresh red bell peppers, halve, seed, and grill the red peppers over a high flame until blackened.  Place in a brown paper bag and close.  When peppers are cool enough to handle, remove as much as the charred skin as possible.  Blot on paper towels, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Ingredients Cilantro Cream 3/4 cup low fat  sour cream 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro leaves 2 tablespoon lime juice salt and pepper to taste Soup 4 cups reduced so1/2 sodium chicken broth 1/2 lb red potatoes, diced 1 celery rib 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp basil 1/2 tsp thyme 2 lbs red bell peppers or 2 jars (see note) fire roasted red peppers 1 med onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic (1/2 tsp minced = 1 clove) 1-2 red chilies such as jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, sliced 1/2 tsp hot, sweet or smoked paprika salt and pepper to taste