Hearty Tomato Soup

It was a cold, rainy, dreary day. I needed soup in a bad way. After much deliberation I decided tomato soup was the solution. I hunted and hunted for recipes, but didn't find the one to suit my needs. So, I did what I've become accustomed to doing--I made up my own recipe! 

This is not quite your traditional creamy tomato soup. Actually, it's not like that at all. I plan to come up with that recipe sometime this winter. No, this tomato soup is in a different class altogether. It's got hearty chunks of tomatoes and has the flavor of a fantastic Italian marinara. Perfect for Kevin and me. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, washed and shredded

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp Italian seasoning

pinch of Thyme

pinch of Crushed Red Pepper flakes

1--28oz can whole tomatoes

1--46oz can tomato juice

1/2 cup milk or cream

Feta Cheese, optional

Parmesan, optional

Directions

Heat a 6 quart stock pot to medium. Drizzle with canola or extra virgin olive oil and dump in the onions, garlic, carrots and spices. Saute until softened and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Stir in the whole tomatoes and gently crush with a potato masher.  Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least one hour (the longer the better!) Stir in the milk or cream and cook until heated through. 

Serve with a sprinkle of feta and/or Parmesan cheese...and possibly a grilled cheese sandwich. 

Challah Bread (Jewish Egg Bread)

Though this recipe has quite a few steps and take some time to prepare, it's really not difficult. I mean, aside from the brute strength it takes to stir in 8 cups of flour into the wet ingredients to form the dough. Oh. my. word. That was a seriously workout. 

In any case, the pain and time is TOTALLY worth it. This really lives up to Smitten Kitchen's description of the Best Challah. This is a traditional Jewish egg bread that is slightly dense and perfectly sweetened with a gorgeously crisped crust. A day or two after baking, the bread is amazing as toast and makes the most incredible French Toast from what I hear. 

Perfect for your holiday gatherings, this loaf can be created with a simple 3 strand braid or an impressive 6 strand braid and even shaped into a festive wreath. 

Best Challah (Egg Bread)

recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

1-3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl

5 large eggs

1 tablespoon salt

8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained

Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling, optional

Direction

In a large bowl(large enough for mixing 8 cups of flour), dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.

Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.

At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. 

Braiding the loaf: (for a photo depiction of these directions check out this helpful site.)

Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. 

Pinch the tops of the strands together. 

The 2nd strand from the left goes all the way to the right (crosses over). 

The 1st strand from the left goes to the center. 

The 2nd strand from the right goes all the way to the left. 

The 1st strand from the right goes to the center.

Continue this until all strands are braided. 

For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. 

For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. 

Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.

If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.

Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.

Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.

Round or straight braid? Raisins or skip them? Straight loaves of braided challah are eaten throughout the year–typically on the Sabbath–round challahs, often studded with raisins, are served for the New Year and the other High Holidays that follow.

Smashed Potatoes

I know some people don't like the skins of potatoes, but I just have to disagree. Not only are the skins delicious but they're chock full of the potato's nutrients. On top of THAT, making mashed potatoes is a pain in the rear if you choose to peel all of them. I've cut my fingers and thrown potatoes across the kitchen so many times, I've proven to myself that peeled potatoes are (almost) never worth it. 

/end rant/

That said, my family is totally cool with smashed potatoes--mashed potatoes with the peels on. This particular recipe is what I devised in making Thanksgiving dinner for 8 adults. We had quite a lot of leftovers but we used them up in potato soup the next day. Cut this recipe in half (or more) to serve a family of four. 

serves: 10-12 (aka Thanksgiving Sized Potatoes)

Ingredients

5lbs Russet potatoes, washed and chopped (do NOT peel)

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 to 1 whole cup milk 

salt 

pepper

1 tsp parsley flakes 

1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

If preparing the potatoes the night before, chop them, place in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Refrigerate. This will keep potatoes from browning. Remove from the fridge at least one hour prior to cooking to bring water to room temperature.

Cover potatoes with water by an inch. Bring to a boil and cook until easily pierced by a fork (15 minutes for this amount of potatoes.) Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Add in the butter by the tablespoon and allow it to melt. Sprinkle in spices and add in 1/2 cup of milk. Mash. Slowly add in additional milk until potatoes are smooth and fluffy.  

Never-Fail Pie Crust

This is the best, most trustworthy pie crust recipe ever. It has never failed me. It's easy to put together and crowds go wild over the flaky, melt in your mouth crust. The shortening in the key. I know, I know, butter is better. But not here, my friends. Trust me.

Never-Fail Pie Crust
Makes two (2) two-crust pies (use only half of this recipe for one apple pie)

Ingredients
2 cups shortening (this is the key!)
4 cup flour
dash of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup cold water

Directions
Mix shortening, flour and salt with a fork or pastry blender or stand mixer until crumbly.
In a small bowl, mix together egg, vinegar, and water. Pour the liquid mixture into flour mixture. Mix with flour until dough forms. If dough is too wet to handle, sprinkle in additional flour and stir to combine.

After dough is complete, divide the dough into 4 equal parts (or 2 if you halved the recipe) and flatten each portion slightly into a circle (approx. 5 inch round).  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  This allows for much easier rolling.

If you need additional tips for rolling out the dough, feel free to ask.  I've learned a lot of lessons!

While crust is chilling, start on your pie filling of choice and follow the pie recipe's baking directions.