My country tis of thee and Chunky Tomato Soup

Another sip of coffee, lets get started:

I read a opinion pole yesterday on AOL that showed the approval rating going down and down on President Bush. The pole asked the overall questions and specific questions on the Presidents actions. When asked of 50,000 pole takers if the approved of the Presidents handling of foreign policy 81% said they did not. Would we vote for President Bush, if it were possible, 93% gave resounding NO. Please add my no to their voices. Why our government can't see they are going down the wrong road, violence leads to violence. Enough of, would we be better off fighting over their rather than here is just so much propaganda (spin). In honor of my disapproval of the current President I give you Chunky Tomato Soup instead of rotten tomatoes.

Chunky Tomato Soup

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 red bell pepper, dice
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, dice
• 3/4 teaspoon butter, divided
• 8 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion, dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups prepared chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 cup milk 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon prepared roux

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper in a large pot with 1/4 teaspoon butter, and cook, stirring constantly, until peppers are slightly charred. Mix in tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chicken broth. Season with salt, sugar, cloves, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, and cook 20 minutes, until tomatoes are soft.
2. Mix the milk, cornstarch and roux* in a small saucepan, and stir until smooth. Place sauce pan over medium heat, and stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter. Continue to cook and stir until thickened. Mix into the pot with vegetables.
3. Strain about 1/2 the vegetables from the soup and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth, and return to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let sit about 5 minutes before serving.

 

Roux +

 White sauces are the basis for many recipes. Just a few simple steps need to be followed carefully for a perfect result every time

Process (How to)

1.   Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat.

2.   Stir in flour. Using a wire whisk, stir the butter-flour mixture until it bubbles. This is called a roux.

3.   Cook and stir the roux for 1-2 minutes. This gets rid of the raw flour taste and allows the starch granules in the flour to accept the liquid. Remove from heat.

4.   Heat the liquid portion (what you are thickening) in a separate pan.

5.   Slowly add the liquid to the roux, stirring vigorously with that wire whisk.

6.   Return saucepan to heat. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens.This process begins at the bottom of the pot, so be sure to stir constantly.

7.   When the sauce is thickened and just begins to boil, remove from heat. If you added milk, You've made a white sauce!

Tips:

Make sure you cook the flour-butter mixture for 1-2 minutes so the sauce will thicken.

1. Using a wire whisk (see picture above) really is important. It incorporates the liquid into the roux very well, preventing lumps from forming.