Hurricane Sandy sure made a mess out of New Jersey, New York and a few other spots, didn’t she? What a horrible mess. People out of work, no electricity, it’s getting cold, REALLY REALLY COLD, and many have nothing at all. For those of us sitting in warm houses, we should share a bit of what we’ve got for those who have little or nothing. You don’t have to do much if we all pitch in with ten bucks. We won’t notice the tenner gone but the people we’ll all be helping will certainly see an improvement in their circumstances.
Barbara Kniebel of Creative Culinary and Jenn from JennCuisine have gotten together to encourage bloggers and eaters of all sorts to pull together to help those ravaged by the storm. We’re all making heartwarming meals and posting a link to the Red Cross Sandy Appeal.
It’s not winter where I live but I am from the Northeast of the US so I’m eager to take part in this initiative to bring relief as well as to let those victims of the storm know that people all over the world care. We can’t imagine what you’re going through just getting through one day after another, but I want to share my soup with you.
This is really good warm and comforting but I served it cold because well, uhh.. it’s hot as can be here today. It’s cream of tomato soup and it’s something I can whip up in just a few minutes. Okay so it’s not an orgasmic recipe but people who are suffering need a cuddle in a bowl and this soup serves it up nicely. I picked the basil from the pots so I could put a little chiffonade on the top of the soup and thought I’d share what it was like here today. No complaints.
- 4 tbs butter
- ½ cup chopped French shallots (the bulb ones) or you could use onion and a clove of garlic
- 2 regular sized cans chopped tomatoes - fresh or canned (I used canned because home grown aren't in yet)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes
- ¼ to ½ cup cream (depending upon how creamy you like it)
- 5 torn basil leaves (or a chiffonade on top)
- Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the onions and saute until translucent but not brown (a pinch of salt helps)
- Add the baking soda to the tomatoes and stir (will be fizzy) and then add to the pot.
- Add the sugar, salt and stock cubes and cook for about 10 minutes until everything comes together and tastes good.
- Add cream and bring to nearly the simmering point, you don't want to boil the soup.
- Add the torn basil leaves and taste for seasoning and adjust.
- Serve hot or cold
If you’ve got some sourdough bread, slice it thinly, toast it and crumble goat’s cheese on top and serve with the soup. I hope you agree that it’s a perfect accompaniment to the soup.
Please donate to the Red Cross appeal to help Hurricane Sandy victims. You’ll feel better for it. I do.