Today was the most difficult meal I prepared and all I got in the end was some soup…Let me tell you the issues, I could not find my camera, so I had to use the iSight camera on my MacBook. Then the sweet potato gnocchi was terrible, and I almost spilled the soup. But anyways, I am done. Here is my first recipe from “The Oyster Evangelist”
Vegan Tomato Bisque
Serves 4 to 6
12 Roma tomatoes (about 3 3/4 pounds), stemmed and halved
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme ( I did not have any, so maybe next time)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
5 garlic cloves, peeled
3 medium onions (about 1 pound), halved and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or covered with water, brought to a boil and soaked for an hour, drained
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large soup pot or saute pan with a lid, combine the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of the salt, the red pepper flakes, thyme, and oregano, the garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes so they are all cut-side down.
Roast, uncovered for two to three hours, until the tomatoes are tender and the skin has cracked and the garlic is good and soft. Longer is better, but I ran out of time yesterday and pulled them after two hours and everything was peachy keen.
Meanwhile, add the onions, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a large skillet, and caramelize the onions.
After I roasted the tomatoes!
When they are done, add two tablespoons of tomato paste and cook, stirring often, while the paste caramelizes a bit, about 3 minutes. The bottom of the pan should be covered with browned bits of onions and tomato paste. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the bits.
Transfer the large pot with the cooked tomatoes to the stove top, and pluck off as many tomato skins as you can. Pour the onion-tomato paste-water mixture into the pot and bring this mixture to a simmer for about 10 minutes, just to encourage the flavors to mingle. While it bubbles, put the soaked cashews in a blender with 1/2 cup of fresh water and puree until perfectly smooth. Remove the cashew cream from the blender and set aside.
Working in batches, puree the the tomato mixture until smooth. Once all the soup has been pureed, whisk in the cashew cream. Return to the burner over medium heat until hot.
So this recipe is pretty solid. I will blame any reservations I have about this recipe on the fact that I spilled this on the counter and made a huge mess. I will use this as a sauce for some stuff pasta shells that I am trying to develop. I also hope to find my camera so I can deliver better pictures.
