How Did You Cook That

Bites and Tastes

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

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Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are a dynamic duo and the perfect twosome to invite to every occasion. They turn heads and get conversations started at weeknight dinners, Saturday afternoon parties or Sunday sports day on the couch. This year I paired creamy herb roasted red pepper and tomato soup with sharp cheddar cheese grilled between two hearty slices of seeded rye to serve at our Oscar Awards party. Let me tell you; everyone kept sneaking back to the kitchen to fill up their bowls. Commercial breaks are good for something after all!

When making this soup, pay special attention to the vegetables that are the base for your vegetable broth. (Or make your own) Knowing what veggies are in there will help you decide what seasonings to sprinkle over your peppers before roasting so that you really bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and peppers in your soup.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
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Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Why buy the boxed version of tomato soup when you can make it fresh and fabulous in no time flat!
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Keyword Pepper, Soup, Tomato
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Immersion blender or countertop blender

Ingredients

  • 2 red or yellow peppers
  • 1 medium brown onion, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • ½ cup carrot, chopped
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • ¼ cup medium grain white rice
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 28 ounce canned chopped tomatoes
  • 4 leaves fresh basil
  • 1½ quarts vegetable stock
  • ⅛ tsp cardamom
  • pinch dried oregano
  • pinch dried thyme
  • salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 400°
  • Slice each pepper into 4 large quarters and lay into a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with dried oregano and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Peel garlic cloves and smash lightly. Set into the baking dish with the peppers. Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Roast peppers and garlic in the oven for 25 minutes.
  • While peppers and garlic are roasting, saute chopped onions in a large skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
  • Cook stirring often until onions are translucent. About 3 minutes. Add chopped carrots and celery. Cook about 5 more minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes with the juice, tomato paste, basil, cardamom and a generous dash of salt.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes until tomatoes have cooked down a bit.
  • Add the roasted peppers and garlic, vegetable stock, rice, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.
  • Pour soup into blender cup in batches and purée. Be careful with hot soup in the blender. DO NOT FILL TOO FULL and leave cover lid loose for steam to escape. Cover with tea towel to keep from splattering. Return pureed soup to pot in batches and heat on medium low for several minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with Parmesan cheese, croutons, dollop of yogurt and/or chopped basil.

Spicy Mango Salsa

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Spicy Mango Salsa

You can tell that summer is upon us when the markets are stocked with juicy ripe mangoes.  I absolutely love golden creamy Ataulfo mangoes and the tropical fragrance of these ripe lovelies fills the air as soon as you walk into the produce section. 

Ataulfo mangoes are so creamy and delicious, it is hard to resist eating the entire lot of them before you get them diced up and into this salsa.

It’s a simple recipe made with minimal ingredients that are all easy to find in any market. It’s perfect with crispy tortilla chips and mouthwatering atop a freshly grilled slice of salmon.  

 

Spicy Mango Salsa
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Spicy Mango Salsa

Mangoes, red onions and cilantro come together to create the perfect salsa and topping for nearly any grilled fish, meat or vegetable.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Keyword condiments, Salsa
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 2 large, ripe mangoes I use Ataulfo when available but Ruby mangoes work just fine.
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 1 small, jalapeno pepper seeded
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves finely chopped
  • 1 large lime
  • Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Place diced mango, red onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro in a large bowl. Zest about 1/4 of lime into the mixture then squeeze out all the juice of the lime over the chopped ingredients. Stir together to combine well. Add salt to taste.
  • Set aside in refrigerator for 15 minutes to let all the flavors mingle together.
  • Serve in with chips of as a topping for grilled fish or veggies.

Loquat Marmalade

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Jams Jelly Fruit

In June the trees around Los Angeles are dripping with golden ripe loquats. Tons, litterally, tons of them. Little orange globes falling to the ground and all over the sidewalk. As soon as I see them ripening I know it’s time to get out the canning jars and make loquat marmalade.

There’s enough fruit on these trees to feed an army and they usually go forgotten every year. I suspect, like myself once, that nobody knows what the heck to do with these little treats.

Loquat marmalade or jam is relatively easy to make, requiring only 4 ingredients and it is seriously delicious. The tedious part is removing the large seed and separating the flesh from the skin. This yummy condiment makes a sweet morning treat on a toasted slice of bread. Yum.

So, walk next door and meet your neighbors with the heavy laden loquat tree in their yard. I’ll bet they’ll be happy to have you take some fruit off their hands. Blend the extra loquats up into a Forager Cocktail and you’ll have a good reason to invite them over to happy hour.

Jams Jelly Fruit
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Loquat Marmalade

When loquats are dripping from the trees in your neighborhood, grab a basket and gather them up for a great big batch of spicy lemony jam.
Course Breakfast, condiments, Dessert, sauces
Cuisine American
Keyword condiments, sauce
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups golden loquats, washed and seeded weight is AFTER seeds and core have been removed. I peeled mine but you can leave some or all of the skin on if you prefer.
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 lemon finely grate the peel
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla

Instructions

Preparation

  • Gather jars for canning and warm them in the oven.
  • Pull washed loquats apart and remove seeds. Skin peels off easily if you wish to remove. It is OK to leave skin on for this recipe

Cooking

  • You should have approximately 4 cups after seeding and peeling. If you have less, that is fine. The ratio of loquat to sugar is always the same 2:1
  • Put seeded loquats in a large saucepan on the stove
  • Add 2 cups sugar
  • Add grated lemon peel and squeeze lemon juice into pan
  • Add vanilla
  • Cook at a low boil for 40 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. There is a lot of natural pectin in loquats so you will not need to use any thickener. KEEP CLOSE TO THE POT AND STIR FREQUENTLY. Sugar burns quickly and the whole mixture will stick to the bottom of your pan.
  • Remove warm jars from oven and fill with marmalade.
  • Let completely cool before tightening the lids.
  • Store in refrigerator.

Creamy Acai Bowls

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No need to stop on your way to work to pick up an Acai Bowl for breakfast when you can whip this tasty bite up faster than you can pack your messenger bag.

Stock your freezer with all the pre-prepped ingredients and you will only need to toss them into your blender in the morning and rejoice.

It’s also a perfect summer treat for chilling out on a hot day.

There are dozens of options for toppings or mix ins with these bowls, so don’t limit yourself to just the ingredients in the recipe below.

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Creamy Acai Bowls

Creamy, nutritious açaí bowl with banana, berries, coconut milk, and nuts. A healthy breakfast or yummy snack that tastes dessert.
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2
Author How Did You Cook That
Cost $6

Ingredients

  • 1 pouch frozen Acai fruit pack
  • 1 cup coconut yogurt (plain or flavored) whole milk or goat milk yogurt can be used as well
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, divided reserve half of berries for topping
  • 1/2 cup granola
  • 1/4 cup nuts or seeds

Instructions

  • Blend acai, yogurt, banana and berries in blender or Magic Bullet until smooth. (It will be VERY thick)
    Spoon out half of mixture into bowl or to-go cup. Layer in half of remaining berries, granola, nuts, sliced banana, chia seeds, etc. Cover with remaining acai blend and top with the rest of the berries, granola, nuts and seeds.
    Dig in and feel the love.