KITCHEN QUICKIES

RECIPES FOR GOOD FOOD FAST

Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am. TFG Publisher and master of the quick-cook Amy Sestito serves up
five tasty ways to dish out dinner on the fly.

SOUP'S ON

Classic Tomato Soup
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Mascarpone cheese, for garnish
Chopped parsley, for garnish

How to:
In a stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Puree mixture in a blender (or use an immersion blender, my must-have gadget below). To serve, garnish with the mascarpone cheese and chopped parsley.

Roasted Tomato Soup
2 lbs. plum tomatoes
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to drizzle over the tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 cups chicken broth

How to:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice the plum tomatoes in half and season with chopped basil, oregano, parsley, and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 2 hours.

In a stockpot over a medium flame, heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the roasted tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour. Puree soup in a blender or use an immersion blender.

Pasta E Fagioli
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 cup tomato sauce (SHAWN, link tomato sauce to September recipes) or use an 8-ounce can
1 cup water
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
8 ounces macaroni or other small pasta
Italian parsley, chopped (optional for garnish)

How to:
In a medium pot, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, water and cannellini beans (juice and all), bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

While this is cooking, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and add to finished tomato broth. Serve with chopped parsley and grated cheese (my kids sometimes eat the leftovers for breakfast!).

Vegetable Soup
Note: I make this for Jillian and myself for a workday lunch. It’s a great way to get in our veggies and tastes so good and sweet that Jillian still can’t believe that I don’t add sugar.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 small can stewed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
10 chopped basil leaves

How to:
In a stockpot, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the chopped onion, carrots and celery and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, peas, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.

Escarole Soup
1 large or 2 small heads escarole (wash really well—it is usually quite dirty), chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can cannellini beans (juice and all)
Grated cheese, for serving (CAN YOU LINK TO LAST MONTH’S NOTE?)

How to:
In a stockpot, add the chicken broth and escarole. Bring to a boil and simmer for 50 minutes. In a small pot, heat the oil over a medium flame. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to escarole and then add the cannellini beans. Cook for 10 minutes.

To serve, garnish with grated cheese.

Tips for Success

The best kind of stockpot to use when making soup is cast-iron (I use Le Creuset) or a copper-bottomed pot. They retain the heat the best.
It is very important to warm the olive oil over a medium, not high, flame. Oil that is too hot will burn your garlic, and your soup will be ruined.
When you are cooking garlic, sauté it for only about 30 seconds. Once it turns dark brown, it is burnt and you must start over.

Kitchen Quickie Must
An immersion blender is essential for the gal who gets her soup on. Not only do you not have to ladel hot broth into a blender (and risk burning yourself and making a mess), but it does the job in half the time, as you don’t have to puree the soup in batches. Hands down, an immersion blender delivers perfectly blended, smooth soup every time.
($39.99, Oster 3-in-1 Hand Blender, www.target.com)