Roasted Tomato Soup: Almost as easy as opening a can!

Roasted Tomato Soup (with the crispiest grilled cheese on the side)

This is, by far, my favourite simple soup and is a staple in my house all year long.

It’s perfect served warm on a cold winter’s day or chilled, topped with a dollop of sour cream and a few fresh chives, in the sweltering heat of the summer.

All it takes is a bit of rough chopping, some roasting, and a quick trip into the blender and you’ve got the best darn tomato soup ever!

*Note: the only way to make this better is to serve it with a crispy, crunchy, cheesy grilled cheese

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Roasted Tomato Soup

Serves 4 

15 plum tomatoes, halved, cored, and pulp removed
4–6 cloves garlic, unpeeled and whole
½ red onion, peeled and thickly sliced
5–7 sprigs thyme
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2–3 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon or a bit more balsamic, if needed 

Preheat your oven to 375F and toss the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and thyme on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Scatter the top with sugar and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle the top of the vegetables with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. 

Pop the pan in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring about halfway through. 

Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of the stock in a large pot over medium-low heat.  When the vegetables are done, pick out the sprigs of thyme, carefully squash the roasted garlic out of its skin, discard the skin, and transfer all of those lovely veggies to the pot of stock.  Using an emersion or regular blender, blend the soup until it is smooth, adding more stock if needed.  Give the soup a taste and season with salt, pepper, and a little lemon or balsamic if needed.

Serve hot or chill for a lovely summery soup!

The World's Easiest Crispy, Super Cheesy Grilled Cheese

The cheesiest, crispiest grilled cheese ever

If you’re like me, a sandwich can never be too cheesy.

This one is delish dunked in ketchup, sriracha, sriracha-infused ketchup, or, better yet, Roasted Tomato Soup.

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Super Crispy and Cheesy Grilled Cheese

 Makes 2 sandwiches

 4 slices good quality sandwich bread, thickly sliced
3–4 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature*
50­–60g old cheddar cheese (preferably orange) or mozzarella cheese, grated
50–60g Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

 Set out the four slices of bread and butter one side of each.  Place two slices of bread butter side down onto your preheated grill or pan and top with cheese the cheeses, reserving about ¼ cup of the grated cheese for later.  Top each with a second slice of bread, butter side up, and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese is starting to melt, about 4 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side until golden and the cheese is fully melted. 

Remove the sandwiches and scatter the remaining cheese over the bottom of the pan.  Allow the cheese to melt and start to get nice and bubbly.  Pop the sandwiches on top of the melting cheese and allow it to cook for another minute or so or until the cheese is crispy and lovely.  Remove the sandwiches to a cutting board, crispy cheese side up and allow them to cool slightly.

Cut each sandwich in half and serve straight away for optimal gooeyness and crispiness!

*If you don’t have butter at room temp, try using mayonnaise for your grilled cheese. It’s kind of my new favourite thing - it’s so easy to spread and browns up so beautifully!

My Kitchen Go-To: Quick and Easy Shakshuka

Quick & Easy Shakshuka

This, right here, is what I like to make when I’m in a bit of a kitchen rut and have no idea what I want to eat for dinner… or breakfast… or lunch… or when I’m having people over for brunch… Really, it’s an anytime dish that is way too easy to make.

Quick and smokey shakshuka with feta and lemon-y, parsley-y couscous is as easy as chopping a few things, boiling water, heating some sauce, and poaching some eggs. A delish anytime meal, lickety-split.

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Quick and Easy Shakshuka

Serves 4 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons white wine, optional
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 – 796ml (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, divided
2 cups couscous
4 - 8 eggs, depending on how hungry you are
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Crumbled feta cheese, to taste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the onions.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes or until the onions start to soften.  Add the finely minced garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes or so just to cook off some of that raw garlic hit. Stir in the smoked paprika, chili flakes, and cumin and allow the spices to toast for about 1 minute or so. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, if using, or add two tablespoons of water.

Add the halved cherry tomatoes and continue to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down a bit.  Add the canned tomatoes and stir well to combine.  Cover the pan and lower the heat.  Allow the sauce to simmer away for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Meanwhile, set your kettle to boil and pour your couscous into a heatproof bowl.  When the water has boiled, pour 2 cups of boiling water onto the couscous, season with salt and pepper, stir, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Allow this to sit for about 8 to 10 minutes while you finish up your shakshuka.

Using a spoon, make slight wells in the tomato sauce and crack an egg into each.  Cover and cook the eggs over medium-low heat until the whites are firm and the yolks are just slightly cooked but still runny, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Fluff your couscous with a fork, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining parsley, and divide between four plates.  Top each plate with an egg or two plus a good dose of that sauce and scatter with crumbled feta cheese.

*Personally, I’m a big fan of leftover shakshuka for breakfast after a late night out with too much wine ♥

Date Night In: Brown Butter Lobster Tortellini

Brown Butter Lobster Tortellini

Valentine’s Day.

To be honest, Aaron and I aren’t really all that into it. It’s mushy and romantic, two words that don’t really describe our relationship. It’s also a day where you know that everyone around you in a restaurant is on a date and
that
is
weird.

For us, Valentine’s is usually just a night in with a home cooked meal that seems much fancier than a normal night’s feast but, in reality, is just as easy to whip up.

I mean, any excuse to open a bottle of wine and dig into a big plate of brown butter lobster tortellini mid-week is reason enough for to celebrate, right?

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Brown Butter Lobster Tortellini

Serves 2

 1 batch Basic Pasta Dough or 25–30 wonton wrappers
2 fresh (or frozen and thawed) 175g lobster tails
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1–2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ lemon, zested and juiced
Pinch red chili flakes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
2/3 cup smooth ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce and serving
3–4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
½ lemon, zested and juiced
Kosher salt
Fresh tarragon and parsley, finely chopped
Pecorino Romano cheese

Prepare a batch of Basic Pasta Dough, cover, and set aside (or set out your wonton wrappers, cover, and set aside).

Remove the lobster meat from the shells by cutting down the centre of each tail with a pair of kitchen shears, splitting the shell open, and extracting all of the meat. Chop the meat into small pieces and set aside.

In a medium non-stick skillet, melt the butter and cook until it starts to turn lightly golden brown. Add in the chopped lobster meat as well as the finely minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the lobster meat is just cooked through. Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, chili flakes, and herbs and transfer the meat to a bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.

When cooled, stir in the ricotta cheese and egg yolk and season well with salt and pepper.

To form the tortellini, roll out the pasta dough into very thin sheets.  Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut out as many circles as possible (you can also use a knife to cut 4-inch squares).  Place a rounded teaspoon of the lobster filling into the middle of each pasta shape.  Dip your finger in a bowl of water and run it along the edge to moisten.  Fold the dough over to form a half moon (or triangles) around the filling, press well to seal, then draw the two corners of the half moon together to form a little tortellini shape.  Press tightly to join the two corners together and place your formed tortellini onto a flour dusted baking sheet, leaving room between each shape. 

For the brown butter sauce, add the butter to a large stainless steel sauté pan and set it over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and brown, stirring occasionally. As soon as the butter is golden, add in the black pepper and halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the tomatoes start to soften up. Add in the lemon zest and juice and remove the pan from the heat.

Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes for fresh pasta or 2 minutes for wonton wrappers or until the tortellini bob up to the surface and is cooked to your liking.

When the tortellini is cooked, transfer them directly to the brown butter and toss to combine. Add in a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking liquid and give the tortellini a toss so that it is thoroughly coated with the brown butter sauce. Season with a pinch of kosher salt, toss in some fresh herbs and serve, topped with a scattering of Pecorino Romano.