Tomatoes, Tomatoes, I love Tomatoes! Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Tomatoes are one of my most loved fruits, yes a fruit, not a vegetable according to botanists.  Either way a fruit or veggie I'll take them, any way they are served I love them.  They are loaded with lycopene a powerful antioxidant, a decent amount of vitamin C and Potassium, Folate and Vitamin K, all so very good for you.  

My favorite tomatoes are Campari, they are smaller than a regular tomato but larger than a cherry tomato and they taste like a Summer tomato all year long.  Plums are my second favorite, they are very meaty and not too juicy so great in sandwiches.

Today I made tasty and hearty Pappa al Pomodoro soup with regular slicing tomatoes.  This soup is thick and full of flavor, and you won't be hungry after eating it because it is so thick. It is a simple food, most ingredients you will have in your pantry.  Considered peasant food back in the day, it is has now earned culinary kudos from renowned chefs all over the world.

These are the ingredients I used in my Pappa al Pomodoro soup. Olive Oil, garlic, onion, fresh tomatoes, I also used a can of petite diced tomatoes for more color, winter tomatoes are not as brightly colored as summer tomatoes.  You could certainly use all canned if you like.  I thought I would try it with fresh ones.  Now, back to the ingredients, crushed red pepper, fennel seed, salt and pepper, fresh basil, tomato paste (in tube) its easier than wasting a 6 oz. can, and garlic paste in the tube for more added flavor. The tubes are great, worth investing in them to have on hand when you only need a teaspoon or tablespoon of paste or garlic, and last, one small loaf of Italian/French bread, a crusty bread a day or two old, even better.

Peel the skins off the tomatoes, slice and scoop out the seeds, only the seeds not the meat of the tomato.

 I would do this over the sink, it can get messy,

Chop them up.

A little crushed red pepper for some heat and crushed fennel for flavor, love the smell of fennel. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the seeds.

Yes, I used a can!  You can use all canned tomatoes if you like.  Garlic and onion cooking up, they smell amazing together!

Ohhhhhh baby, looky here! And that fresh basil, what can I say, I could lay in a room full of that fragrance.

Cubed loaf of bread, reserve a  little to make croutons for the top of your soup.

The bread is added and mashed with a potato masher, it helps to cook it down.

WOW, coming together nicely!

My reserved bread for croutons.

A little olive oil on the baking sheet.

Toss in the cubed bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, when cooled, toss with a little parmesan cheese.

Piping hot! It's so good topped with more cheese, the homemade croutons and fresh basil. Delizioso!

Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced small

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of Amore Garlic Paste in tube

1/4 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper (more if you like heat)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds. crushed

4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or you can use 3- 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes with juice)

1 14.5 oz. canned regular Petite diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 tablespoons of Amore Tomato Paste in tube (or use canned)

2 tablespoons sugar (more if you like it sweeter, taste first)

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 1/2 cups of water

6 large basil leaves, sliced

1 loaf of crusty Italian/French bread, cubed (big enough for 6 -7 cups of bread cubes, reserve 1 cup for croutons)

Parmesan cheese and more fresh sliced basil for serving

Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until just transparent.  Add the garlic, garlic paste, crushed red pepper and fennel seed.  Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes until all is fragrant, but be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add all the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper.  Let tomatoes cook down, about

10 -15 minutes.  Taste and adjust your seasonings to your liking.

Stir in the bread cubes, don't forget to reserve about 1 cup for your croutons.  Add the 4 1/2 cups of water and the basil.  Bring the pot to a simmer, stir and mash the bread with a potato masher until the soup is really thick.  Add more salt, pepper and basil if you like.

Serve piping hot topped with parmesan cheese, your croutons and fresh sliced basil.  Enjoy!

Note: If using all canned tomatoes just use the 3-14.5 oz. cans of petite diced tomatoes, do not add the other one for use with fresh tomatoes. So a total of 3 cans only.

 

Company Is Coming Chicken!

Hoping everyone is well during this corona virus pandemic.  Haven't been posting for a very long time as I babysit my grandson everyday.  But now with the virus and being quarantined, all that has changed. I miss him terribly as well as the rest of my family.  Being stuck inside the house is not something I enjoy.  My days are now filled with cleaning, cooking, eating and watching TV.  I have gone on an occasional walk, but the weather is still cold and I don't like being cold. I am cooking and baking a lot more, which is not good for the waistline (I gained 6 lbs already!) as I have a dress to fit into for my oldest daughter's wedding. I keep saying to myself "YOU NEED TO STOP FEEDING YOUR FACE!" Every day I wake up with a plan and by mid-morning it's all out the window!

But, good food is something I do enjoy, so I plan ahead what I am gong to make for dinner and try to have something healthy to snack on as well.  The fridge and freezers are stocked, so everything I need to prepare a delicious meal is always at hand. If I don't have something, I can always improvise.

I made this chicken dish last week and it was fabulous.  Creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, cheese, cream, fresh basil and a little heat. Try it, you will love it, and it's easy to make all in one pan.

Recipe below.

 I like to start cooking with all my ingredients in front of me, it makes pulling a meal together faster.

 I used a cast iron frying pan, love using them.  Chicken breasts cooking up with a little salt and pepper.

 After chicken is semi-done remove and start making the sauce.

This is so easy and I love the fact that it's all done with one pan, an easy cleanup.

 Add the cream and look at all that flavor!

 Tomatoes in.........

And the cheese!  Everything is better with cheese.

 Bake the chicken and spoon sauce over the top.

And this is the end result, a beautiful and tasty dish,  I served mine with garlic green beans and
 Cacio e Pepe farfalle. Enjoy!
 Please stay safe and healthy my friends.

Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 T. olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp. each salt and pepper

4 gloves minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp. if using dried

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, more if you like heat

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped and drained

3/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, reserve 1/4 cup for topping

Fresh Basil, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large cast iron skillet or other oven safe skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  Add to the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown about 6-7 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken and put on a plate.  Do not clean the pan.  Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, saute until fragrant, do not burn it.  Add the thyme, red pepper flakes, broth and heavy cream.  Cook, stirring for about 5-7 minutes.  Add in the sun dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese. Add the chicken breasts back into the pan.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, juices run clear and the sauce is bubbly and thickened.  Remove from oven.  To serve, spoon sauce over the chicken breasts and top with reserved 1/4 cup of cheese and fresh basil.

Cheesy Baked Chicken

Chicken is a favorite in my house, so I am always trying to come up with new ways to make it.  I also have a few picky eaters which doesn't help either.  I went shopping in the pantry and pulled the fridge open, and with only three ingredients made the best, most moist chicken in all the land!  Recipe below.

To print the recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

I used light mayonnaise, save a little bit of calories when you can, it doesn't alter the taste, I also used grated cheese and plain breadcrumbs.

 Slather the mayo on each piece, then sprinkle on the breadcrumb mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes, and you have yourself some crispy, delicious, juicy chicken breasts.

 The mayo acts like a meat tenderizer, so no more dried out chicken breasts and they taste so good!

Cheesy Baked Chicken

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  With paper towels pat the chicken dry, absorb any water or juices.  Lay the chicken breasts on the baking sheet.  Divide the mayo between the two pieces and slater all over and around the sides of each piece.  In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the cheese and sprinkle all over the chicken.  Bake for 45 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, juices should run clear when the chicken is done.

NOTE:  I only made 2 big chicken breasts, just up your ingredients for however many pieces you plan to cook.

The Tale Of The Purple Vegetable - Eggplant Parmesan

Ahhh, eggplant I can't say enough about it.  They have plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant fighting nutrients, so the bottom line is -  it's good for you!  Leave that beautiful deep purple skin on when you cook it and it's even better for you.  True fact - eggplants were first grown in China around the 5th century B.C., before I was born, so they are pretty darn old!

Choose your eggplants carefully when buying.  Their appearance should be firm, they should be heavy for their size, the skin should be smooth and shiny, no scars or bruises, and the stem should be green, not dried out and brown.  Don't cut your eggplant until you are ready to use it, they brown quickly and it will not look very appetizing. You can salt the eggplant before you use it, to rid it of some of the bitter taste and make it more tender. This is called "sweating" the eggplant (see note). You can cook eggplant in many ways, I think the most common is Eggplant Parmesan.  You can use it as an appetizer in caponata, bread it and fry it, stir -fry it, use it in ratatouille, make a sandwich with roasted peppers and provolone.  Grill it or roast it, no matter how you make it, it's all good.  I made Eggplant Parmesan with my eggplant, recipe below.
  To print - click, highlight and print.

 I took a U-turn and made it easy on myself, it was Sunday and I was being a little lazy, so I used some pre-packaged stuff instead of the "totally" fresh that I usually do.  Everything came out the same, so no probs there.

 I peeled my eggplant, because there are those in my family that don't like the skin, they're a little whiny sometimes.

 Two eggs, salt and pepper, beat it, just beat it!

I use paper plates so I don't have to wash dishes, I told you it was lazy Sunday!  Eggs in the bowl, Italian breadcrumbs on one plate and then a clean plate for the breaded eggplant slices.

Bathe the eggplant slices on both sides in the egg, then let them roll around in the breadcrumbs.

Stack them up on that empty plate....

Then start frying those babies up in canola oil.

 
 While they are cooking, start mixing up your cheese. Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 2 eggs, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley.

Eggplant is nice and golden brown, drain on paper towels.

Pour some of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

 
Layer eggplant, cheese, sauce....

 Repeat....

And last layer of sauce on the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 45 minutes.

 In the last 10 minutes sprinkle with more Mozzarella cheese, then it's all done and ready to eat with more fresh grated cheese sprinkled on top.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

Canola Oil for frying

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs

1 medium to large eggplant - see note

1 - 15 oz container of part skim Ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese, reserve 1/2 cup to garnish

1/4 cup Pecorino - Romano cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

1 jar your favorite pasta sauce, or use homemade

Directions

Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.  In a deep frying pan add about 1 1/2 cups of canola oil for frying. Beat the first 2 eggs with the salt and pepper, pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate to bread the eggplant, and use another plate for the breaded eggplant slices.  Heat the oil on medium high, add slices and cook until golden brown on both sides, you may have to turn the heat down if your stove gets too hot and they start to burn.  Drain cooked slices on paper towels.

While the slices are frying, in a medium bowl mix the Ricotta cheese with 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese, the Pecorino - Romano and Parmesan cheeses, the other 2 eggs, parsley, salt and pepper.   Mix until combined, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, you may need more if your dish is big. Layer the eggplant slices, overlap them if you need to so they fit in the pan. Drop some of the cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the eggplant, then top with some of the sauce.  Repeat until all the eggplant and cheese are used, top with remaining sauce.  Place the pan on a baking sheet, in case it bubbles over, and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is bubbling.  In the last 10 minutes of baking, top with the 1/2 cup reserved Mozzarella cheese. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE:  To "sweat" the eggplant, line a baking sheet with paper towels, sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt, lay them out on the paper towels for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat the slices dry with clean paper towels.  Doing this makes it more tender and takes some of the bitterness out of the eggplant.