Cold Front, Warm Belly...

As a cold front comes through the east coast this weekend and yet another day off is filled with gloomy grey clouds--I've made yet another batch of soup. Around here we've had lots of late nights working and our eating schedules have been out of whack--but we've vowed to not visit a drive thru...no matter how tempting it may be. In an effort to totally obliterate the mere thought of a drive-thru, I have been working hard at planning ahead (although sometimes these ideas don't go as planned, as it becomes hard to keep spoons and fingers out of the delicious pot). 

Today I followed this recipe that combines the nostalgic flavors of tomato soup and grilled cheese with a sophisticated balance of sweet and tang with the addition of goat cheese. I omitted the heavy cream (so, my fridge is super cold, and the cream was shoved to the back and FROZE...literally, a solid block of cream). The soup was thick and creamy and everything you would hope for in a grown up tomato soup. Add some grilled cheese croutons and you have a soup ready for a lazy Friday night or a Sunday family dinner.

*Funny side note:: I'll only makes soups and sauces with one specific wooden spoon. It doesn't have any special meaning and wasn't a life changing gift...it just doesn't seem right without it.

Goat Cheese Tomato Soup

by: A Cozy Kitchen
as always--modified by me!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced (about 1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can of whole San Marzano tomatoes [okay so the closest grocery store to me kinda stinks and has a very limited variety of items...I ended up using ground organic tomatoes...it worked out okay but didn't quite have the deliciousness of a San Marzano.)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 ounces goat cheese, softened ( I have a heavy hand when it comes to goat cheese, I love the stuff..I probably used closer to 4-5 ounces...so I could snack on it of course).

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5-7 minutes, Add the garlic to the top of the diced onions and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Add in the tomato paste and cook out for about a minute. This will develop a deeper tomato flavor.  Then add in the tomatoes, sugar, stock, salt and pepper. Sitr and cook for 20 minutes on medium-low.

Working in batches, transfer the soup into a blender (in my case, a smoothie maker) and blend on low, stopping to allow steam to escape. Remember to never fill a blender with hot liquid more than 1/3 of the way. I put the blended batches in a second pot, or you could set in a separate bowl while blending the other batches. The soup will be thick and slightly chunky in texture...if you prefer a smoother soup, pour the blended soup through a sieve over the pot.

Reheat the soup until hot and melt in goat cheese. Try not to eat it all. 

Have a great weekend dolls! Next week we'll have some yummy treats to look forward to!