Cream of Ratatouille Soup

I was planning a post about soup from a bag of vegetables, when I thought, "Hey, it's eggplant and zucchini season! What about Cream of Ratatouille soup?"

Since this is the place I want to have all my favorite recipes, I might as well add it now.  Now regular Ratatouille is a delicious staple in Italy, but I find that soup is an easy way to get my kids (and husband!) to eat vegetables. And this soup is delicious, imho.

I didn't note where I originally got this recipe, so sorry no credit.

Cream of Ratatouille Soup

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 eggplant, cut into cubes*
1 zucchini, cut into cubes*
1 large onion, quartered
1 large pepper (any color)
4 large very ripe tomatoes, quartered*
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped fine
2 Tbs heavy cream
2 cups savory croutons

*The original recipe called for peeling the vegetables, but I don't bother with this.

Directions

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in heavy-bottomed medium pot. Saute garlic until translucent. Add eggplant, zucchini, onion and bell pepper, and cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes, until slightly soft. Add tomatoes and the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes begin to dissolve, 15-20 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and cool 5-10 minutes. Add the mixture to the food processor or blender, in batches if necessary. Puree until smooth. Return to the pot and add chicken stock (or water, if necessary) until the mixture has the consistency of a thick soup.

Add salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add cream (or milk, if necessary). Taste and adjust, if necessary.

Serve with Savory Croutons

Savory Croutons

8 slices dry french bread
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp minced fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, & rosemary)

Cut the bread into 1" cubes. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, reduce the heat and saute 2-3 minutes, to flavor the oil. Add the bread and cook slowly over low heat until golden & crusty (4-5 min each side).

Sprinkle with salt and herbs. Drain on paper towel and cool. Can be stored for a few days in a closed paper bag.



Coming soon... Soup from a bag of vegetables!

PF Chang's Flavors of Summer Challenge

I saw on FB that PF Chang's was having a contest using Pinterest and creating an Asian-inspired dish with summer ingredients, of which we were to choose at least five. I didn't have much time, but I threw together a noodle bowl inspired by Vietnamese restaurants I've been to. When I'm in Denver, there is a large Vietnamese community, and for years I've been going to restaurants there when I'm in town to get a noodle bowl. They taste fresh and flavorful, using fresh herbs and utilizing one of my favorite ingredients:  noodles!

When I'm in Los Angeles and order the noodle salad bowl, they tell me, "You know that's not soup, right?" Because out here, people usually order a Pho, or noodle soup bowl. Those are also delicious, but it's Summer and I wanted to make a cold noodle salad. I improvised on the sauce, and thought it came out nice.

I picked some flavorful ingredients on Pinterest, and created the following recipe:

Ingredients

Salad 

Sprouts
Avocado - halved and scored into squares, squirt with lemon juice to maintain color
Cucumber - cut into bite size pieces
Carrots - bag cut small
Bell pepper, any color - cut small
Firm Tofu (optional, or meat) 
vermicelli pasta

Sauce

1/2 lime - juiced
squirt of Sirrachi sauce
small squirt of Fish Sauce
1/6 cup seasoned Rice Vinegar
squirt of sweet chili sauce

Directions:

Heat a large pot of water. Assemble the ingredients while water heats and pasta cooks.

Cook pasta according to directions. Pour into colander in the sink when finished and rinse with cold water to cool the noodles.

Cut tofu into 1/4 slices and fry or grill as desired. Cut each slice into smaller pieces to serve. Prepare a small sauce separately for each salad.

Have your family build their own salad according to their preferences, and pour the sauce over the top. Toss to coat the entire salad, and enjoy!

Party Provisions

I loved the segment yesterday on the Nate Berkus show, where Mary Giuliani showcased some great-looking spreads.

Although the segment didn't really go into it, the "salad rolls" in the picture on the right look like they're made from vietnamese roll sheets and a sharp knife. Also, I like the idea of serving soup in little shotglasses, although I'm not sure what was in the small glasses in the picture. Maybe vodka? (ha, ha)


I saw an idea for gazpacho in shot glasses for a party, and that sounds great except for where to have your guests drop them off when they're done.I found these cute cucumber edible containers on google images! (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/gazpacho-shots-cucumber-cannons-10000001193359)

I also like the idea of snacks in cute little spoons, but would probably want to put lettuce wraps in them (you might need the spoon to hold any runover sauce!)

Let me know what you think.

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