Lemon Croutons + Links We Love

One day this week for dinner I made a brothy orzo soup with chicken, herbs, and lemon.  It was delicious, but it wanted something crunchy to go on top. I was in the process of making croutons with a stale baguette (chop it up in squares, sautee in olive oil on medium-low until crispy and golden) when I remembered this lemon infused olive oil I had in my cupboard.  So I made lemon infused croutons.  WHOA.  So good. Amazing on soup as well as salad - the lemon is subtle, fresh, and delicious.  You can buy lemon infused olive oil (I got mine as a free sample from here - cute packaging!) or you can make your own.  Here's a recipe.

Some links we're loving this week:

Dulcie's new favorite last-minute supper.
This fresh dish, by Turntable Kitchen, which would be awesome with homemade ricotta! 
Is organic produce better? A science experiment done by a middle schooler.  Cool.

Simple Tomato Soup (The Best Ever)

I’m completely obsessed with this tomato soup.  It’s intensely tomato-y and rich without being creamy.  It’s addicting, and it’s so simple to make.  I found out about it when I tried it at The Kitchen [Next Door], in Boulder, and then was overjoyed to see that they share their exact recipe for it online.  OVERJOYED!

So, this is very simple.  That’s a good thing.  Lots (and I mean lots) of butter give this soup its silky richness, onion is softened in that butter for a luxuriously long time, and then really high quality whole canned tomatoes are added.  San Marzanos are recommended, but we subbed in Muir Glens with great results. After all the simmering is taken care of, you puree this soup in the blender with a little splash of heavy cream.

The Kitchen serves this soup drizzled with flavorful olive oil, and a side of toasted chewy rustic bread.  It’s to die for.  If you like tomato soup, you’ve got to try this one.  My parting words – don’t be afraid of all that butter!

Simple Tomato Soup (The Best Ever)

Recipe from The Kitchen [Next Door]

• 1 1/3 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 16 oz cans of high quality whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt to taste
• drizzle of high quality olive oil for serving

In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat.  Finely slice the yellow onion and add to the melting butter with a pinch of salt.  Reduce heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook onions in butter for about 30 minutes or until translucent and soft but NOT browned.

Add tomatoes with all the juices from the cans.  Increase heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender and puree in batches, adding cream while blending.  Taste and add more salt if desired.

Serve drizzled with olive oil and a side of crusty bread.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is one that is in regular rotation in my kitchen. If I get a butternut squash in my CSA, I always have the other ingredients on hand to make this easy and satisfying soup. As a bonus, my toddler just loves it. You can try just about any winter squash in this soup, and I've had great success with acorn squash and kabocha squash.

Based on a recipe from my old favorite Joy of Cooking, this has been even further simplified from what was already a pretty easy rendition of butternut squash soup. The result is a soup that is smooth and creamy (but dairy-free), and it even has the potential of being vegan if you use oil and veggie stock. There is very little hands on time, and the bulk of cooking is just roasting the squash. Once that is out of the way, the soup comes together in very little time.

If you are feeling fancy, you can roast the butternut squash seeds (which are taste just like pumpkin seeds but are teeny and darling) and use them as a garnish. But let's be honest, this is just the perfect recipe when you aren't feeling fancy at all. And that is okay.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 medium to large butternut squash, halved and seeded

• 3 tbs butter or vegetable oil

• 1 large onion, chopped roughly

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger 

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 tsp salt

• parsley or cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

1. Preheat your oven to 400. Place squash with the cut side down on an oiled baking sheet. Roast for about an hour until it can be pierced easily with a fork. Once cool, remove and discard the skin, leaving only the pulp.

2. Heat butter or oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and the ginger, and cook, stirring, until tender (about 5 minutes).

3. Stir in the roasted squash and the stock. Simmer and cook, breaking up the squash a bit, for around 20 minutes.

4. Puree the soup until smooth. I use my immersion blender (which I adore!) because that involves the least amount of clean up. You could also use a blender or food processor. Add salt to taste, and reheat. Add your garnish, and serve!