Save 25% - What Could Be Better?

If you're anything like me, holiday shopping often finds me buying something incredible for a friend and liking it so much that I buy it for myself, too! Never has that been more appropriate than now...right here on this blog...buy a cooking or gardening class for a friend at 25% off and do the same for yourself! In fact, do it for all of your friends! Don't know which class they'll like, a gift certificate will do very nicely!  With a great schedule of classes for the gardener and the cook, there's something for everyone.
Happy Holidays!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a Bris - a wonderfully happy occasion when a baby boy is born into a Jewish family.  Except for that brief moment of displeasure for the baby, it's an occasion to celebrate the next generation and the happiness that the new child will bring.

As we sat and enjoyed our meal - all Jewish occasions involve an elaborate meal - the topic of conversation turned to Mothers. Specifically the conversation went like this "If anything goes wrong, is done wrong or any parenting mistakes are made, just blame the Mother. It's always her fault." Not very comforting - for me, or the new Mother!

This morning I took a few minutes to enjoy my breakfast while looking out into the garden.  I thought to myself that these plants are like more children for me.  I take care of them.  I feed them and keep them warm, protect them from harm and cheer for their growth and successes. Parenting plants is so much easier than children. They will never have to make any difficult decisions or choices in life.  When a child makes a bad choice or decision, it is, of course, the Mother's fault.  Not so with plants - no choices for them to make.  And then I realized that I'm the one calling all the shots!  Whatever happens, it's all my fault! And I thought raising plants was easier than children...

Every year I hope and wish that the warm weather will hold into November so I can serve homegrown tomatoes on Thanksgiving.  As the hours of sunlight diminish and night-time  temperatures dip into the chilly range, the quality of tomatoes still on the plants becomes questionable.   Rather than leaving the last Ananas Noire on the plant to possibly succumb to the cold I decided to harvest it. That was a few days ago when it was still green. Even if I wouldn't be able to pick the tomato on the holiday I thought that maybe, just maybe, it would ripen and be as perfect as a homegrown tomato can be on Thanksgiving.  As luck would have it, it ripened quickly and it was delicious in tonight's green salad.  I don't think it would have lasted another 5 days.

Tonight's tomato was a little on the small side but still beautiful and pretty darn tasty...pink in the center with emerald green borders and mild and sweet in flavor. I can't say the same about most of the other tomatoes I pick this time of year.  Eating them uncooked can be less than satisfying, so I find myself roasting them in the oven and using them in sauces and soups.  One of my favorite soups to make is a simple roasted tomato soup.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I have made four batches of it in the past week and that's because my family keeps asking for more! 

Roasted Tomato Soup

1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs

½ cup  plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 large onions, one finely chopped and the other sliced thin

3 pounds garden fresh tomatoes,  peeled and cored

1 quart chicken stock

¼ cup red wine vinegar

sea salt

additional olive oil and chopped dill for garnish

salt

pepper

Preheat  oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a roasting pan, cut sides up. 

Lay the sliced onions on top of the tomatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Place the pan in the oven and roast the tomatoes for 20 – 30 minutes until they begin to carmelize.  Remove tomatoes from oven, set aside.

Place garlic and breadcrumbs in the bowl of a food processor.  Add ½ cup olive oil and process until it becomes a thick paste.

In a heavy saucepan, heat remaining olive oil.  Add chopped onions and cook over low-medium heat for       6 - 8 minutes until translucent.  Add breadcrumb mixture and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Add roasted tomatoes to pan, stir to combine, add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Allow soup to cool slightly and then process until smooth with an immersion blender or in the food processor.  Stir in red wine vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat soup if necessary, then ladle into individual serving bowls.  If desired, garnish with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped dill.

Important note:  The color of your soup totally depends on the tomatoes that you use...it's equally delicious when it's deep red as it is when it's a pale melon color!