Roma Tomato Soup with Parmesan-Dill Breadsticks

Super simple supper for a cool fall evening!

Soup:

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cans of diced tomatoes

3 cans of whole plum tomatoes

6-8 fresh plum tomatoes halved and grilled

1 can tomato paste

3 large onions diced

3-4 Tbsp sugar

4-6 cloves of garlic chopped

1 Tbsp red pepper chili flakes

3 large bunches of fresh Basil chopped (or 4 tbsp dried basil)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 litres Vegetable broth

*Halve and grill plum tomatoes (I just used my bbq)

In a large stockpot, heat oil.

Add onions and garlic and saute until onions become transparent

Add all diced, whole, and fresh tomatoes

Add Spices and Sugar (sugar takes the acidity out of the tomatoes)

Using an immersible hand blender, blend tomatoes.

You can choose the consistency I didn't blend mine thoroughly just to add some texture to it.

Add Basil and Vegetable Broth

Season to taste

Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer.

Leave on stove to simmer at least 20 minutes (I let mine simmer on minimum low heat all afternoon because I was home)

Total Prep time:  15-20 minutes

Total time: 35+ minutes depending on how long you let simmer, the longer it simmers, the richer the flavor.

Breadsticks:

3 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 cup butter melted

1-2 tsp dill

1-2 cups grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400

In a separate bowl, mix yeast, sugar and water and let stand 10 minutes

In a large mixing bowl mix flour and salt.

Add yeast mixture and mix slowly.

Mix until dough pulls away from the bowl and is smooth.

Cover and let stand for 15 minutes

Roll out into a square on a floured surface.

Spread melted butter and dill on square and top with shredded cheese

Fold in half and cut into strips

Twist each strip and place on an ungreased cookie sheet

Let stand for 15 minutes

Bake in oven for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown 

*makes about 15 breadsticks 

Total Prep time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50-55 minutes

 

Chicken Pot Pie with a Thyme and Grana Padano Biscuit Crust

With my daughter's urging, I've decided to start this blog.

I absolutely adore cooking (baking is another story)

and also, I wanted to share my fast and easy recipes.

Chicken Pot Pie with a Thyme and Grana Padano Biscuit Crust

This is my twist on an old standby.

The family was pleasantly surprised with the fluffy biscuit crust instead of the traditional pie crust.

The nice thing about this recipe, is you can easily adapt it to fit your family's likes and size!

The recipe I am about to share made 2 standard 8" pies.

So super easy to prep, the oven does most of the work!

Filling:

1Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Chicken Breasts cubed (about 2 cups)

1 Cup of diced carrots

1 celery heart chopped

1/2 red pepper rough chopped

1/2 yellow pepper rough chopped

1/2 orange pepper rough chopped

1 large onion diced

3/4 Cup sliced wild mushroom (I used enokitake)

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp dried thyme (or to taste)

2 tsp dried sage (or to taste)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Cup Chicken Broth

1 Cup of Frozen Kernel Corn

1/4 cup of Cornstartch

1 litre of Chicken Broth

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*heat oil in large saute pan, add chicken and cook through

When chicken is cooked through, add carrots and saute for one minute before adding celery, peppers, onion, and garlic. Saute all vegetables over medium heat until vegetables are firm but tender.

Add spices and Saute for 2 more minutes then add 1 Cup of Chicken Broth and corn and set to simmer.

While the filling is simmering on low heat...

Crust:

2 cups of buttermilk (or you can use 2 cups of milk and 2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar, let stand for 10 minutes)
3-4 Tbsp cold butter

11/2 cups of flour

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp thyme

1 cup grated Grana Padano (you could use Parmesan or Cheddar or whatever you'd like!)

Mix all dry ingredients together, using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in butter. Lastly, stir in buttermilk slowly -dough should be fairly sticky.

Back to the filling....

*In a large measuring cup, measure out cornstarch and then add chicken broth, stirring until cornstarch is fully disolved, add slowly to Filling mixture, stirring constantly. (It will thicken quickly) Use remaining broth to thin out to a consistency you prefer.

Keep in mind, the biscuit crust will absorb a fair amount of liquid.

Spoon Filling into 2 pie tins, filling 3/4 of the way full.

There might be extra filling, that's okay... just freeze it and turn it into a quick soup or stew another day!

Spoon the batter for the crust on top, you might find it doesn't spread easily, that's okay there should be enough to cover both dishes.

I started in the center of the dish and moved outward and it worked just fine.

Place pie tins on a cookie sheet and place cookie sheet in oven.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Total Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Total time: 60-70 minutes.