Winter's Return

Somehow we managed to make it all the way to January before winter found its way back to us. We really lucked out through November and December, with surprisingly mild days through fall and early winter. Being a southern girl, I love mild winters. The third day of January brought with it a big gust of wind and our first real snowfall of the season, and in response I cuddled up with a blanket and my iPad to search for some new recipes that would make me forget about the upcoming months of cold and snow.

I respect the winter  because it makes me appreciate spring and summer even more. Since moving to the north from southern Georgia, I enjoy a little bit of snow, for the novelty of it. But, come February I am almost always sick and tired of winter. And the return of blustery winter days kind of makes me sad, in a way. But, on the other hand, there is no time like winter for comfort foods, which happen to be my favorite. If it weren't for winter, there would be many foods that just wouldn't taste as good - can you imagine eating a steaming hot bowl of chili in July? 

I may have found my favorite tomato soup recipe today. It was easy, and it was awesome. And, best of all, it was made in the crock pot, so all I had to do was throw some ingredients in and let it do its thing all day. I also made a parmesan focaccia to go with it, a twist on the usual grilled cheese and tomato soup, and have to say that it was a hit. 

Parmesan Tomato Basil Soup - adapted from 365 days of slow cooking

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup diced celery

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (28oz total), undrained

4 cups chicken broth

1 stick butter

1/2c all purpose flour

1/3c fresh basil

1tbsp fresh thyme

1 spring fresh rosemary

1-2 bay leaves

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups half and half

Put onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and chicken broth into slow cooker for 6-7 hours (I only had 5, so I sauteed the onions, carrots and celery in a little olive oil in a dutch oven before putting them in the crock pot). During the last 1-2 hours of cooking, add in the fresh herbs.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, make a roux with the butter and flour. If you've never made a roux before, this is done by melting the butter in a skillet and whisking in the flour. Then keep on whisking for five minutes or so, until you reach what they call "peanut butter roux" - which means it is the color of peanut butter. When you've gotten to this point, add in 1 cup of the soup to the skillet and whisk until incorporated, then add in 2-3 more cups and whisk. Then put the entire mixture back into the crock pot and stir well.

Add the parmesan cheese and half and half and bring back to temperature, salt and pepper to taste (and basil or more thyme if needed) before serving.

For the final touch, use immersion blender to blend to desired consistency.