More Cheese More Chocolate

Finals time is here, which means that I have until 9AM on Thursday to make sense of federal income tax and very little time for cooking.  It also means that I have until about 12PM on Thursday to decide which bar I am going to head to for alternating rounds of Irish Car Bombs and Patron shots because I WILL BE DONE WITH LAW SCHOOL.  Who’s coming with me?

With all of the studying that I’ve been doing I haven’t had much time to spend in the kitchen, and I’ve had even less time to talk about being in the kitchen.  Cooking helps me de-stress about as much as running does, though, so I haven’t completely cut it out of my life.  I’ve been sticking to simple things that taste good and require little effort.  This soup happens to fit the bill with its short prep time and minimal amount of dirty dishes.  It’s really not much more work than running to Jimmy John’s or scrambling some eggs.

This soup idea initially came from one of my oldest, dearest childhood friends, Carly.  Over spring break Carly, her husband, and her daughter had Matt and I over for dinner, and in addition to a wonderful salad, meat + cheese plate, and homemade bread she made a pot of wonderful tomato soup.  I could not stop thinking about the soup for several days after, so I more or less recreated it the next weekend.  A couple of days later Carly sent me her official “recipe,” which called for nothing more than stewed tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cream, all thrown in a pot and cooked for a bit.  Could it get any easier than that?

The best part about this soup is that because it’s so simple, you can easily tweak it and make it your own.  Don’t like creamy soup? Leave out the cream.  Want a little spice? Throw in some chiles.  Want something more substantial?  Add some beans or veggies.  Carly also threw out the idea of tossing in some tortellini, which I think would be an excellent addition.  Have fun with it!

Quick Tomato Bisque

1-2 onions, diced

A few garlic cloves, minced

A couple of cans or jars of stewed or diced tomatoes

Cream

Chicken/veggie broth (optional)

Fresh herbs (optional)

Crusty bread or croutons for serving

Chop an onion or two and a few (or several) cloves of garlic.

Saute the onion in a little oil or butter until it softens.  Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

I used a large can (28-oz) of diced tomatoes plus this jar of stewed tomatoes that came from Carly’s garden.  I think I used two large cans of tomatoes the first time I made it, and it was enough to feed my parents and me with leftovers.

Add the tomatoes.  I added a little chicken broth as well because I had the remainder of a carton in the fridge, but it’s not necessary.  Simmer for a while.  I cooked it for probably 45 minutes while I was getting some work done, but if you’re in a hurry you don’t need to cook it for that long.

Pour in as much cream as you’d like.  Add some fresh herbs if you’re using them.  Cook for a couple more minutes so it all heats through.

Season with salt & pepper.

Serve with croutons or crusty bread.

Carly and me getting ready to run an Easter-themed 5K earlier on in the day in small town Iowa.

And here we are about 20 years earlier getting ready for our 4th of July synchronized swimming show at the golf club.  Yes, we were synchronized swimmers, wore matching swimsuits, and had french braids.  I apparently had an attitude as well.