Tasty Tuesday!

Tomato and Escarole Soup

   I had to do something with all the tomatoes taking up space in my refrigerator, on my counter tops, and a table in my dining room. Tomatoes will continue to produce until the first frost of the year so even though the weather is getting colder, the tomato vines are still producing and I'm always trying to find new ways to use them. I'll be talking more about food preservation in the coming weeks but this week I bring you a great soup recipe. This soup uses escarole, a leafy green similar to kale, which I have never used before so I was curious to try a new ingredient. Escarole, like most leafy greens, is really good for you and also very cheap (which is nice). This recipe also produces quite a bit of soup so make it for a small group of people or you'll be having leftovers for a while.

If you are curious as to what my house looks like overrun by tomatoes it looks a little like this.

• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (I used about 6 medium sized)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium bunch of escarole (chopped into bite sized pieces)
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. You have to remove the skin from the tomatoes so bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Using a knife, cut and "x" into the bottom of each tomato (not too deep). When the water begins to boil, gently place the tomatoes into the water until the skin becomes loose and easy to remove.
2. Once the tomatoes are cool, cut them in half and gently squeeze out any excess water and seeds (you don't have to be incredibly thorough).
3. You can place the tomatoes into a blender and puree if you like but I just finely chopped the tomatoes to create a chunkier consistency.
4. In a clean pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the chopped escarole and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. The vegetable broth will usually have salt in it so be careful. Stir the escarole once in a while and allow it to wilt and become tender.
6. Add the tomatoes, and the remaining vegetable broth. Cover and cook over low heat until all the flavors have blended.

Let the tomatoes cool after you remove the skins.

The escarole ready to be chopped

The soup is almost ready.

Take care of yourself and each other...