Faceromance

Basque Roasted Tomato Soup

Posted by bettyboop50 6/9/01 7:41:21
am

Makes approximately 9 cups.

This is really a delicious soup and the shrimp just adds that
extra flavor and texture that makes this soup elegant.

2 pounds large plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 onions very finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic crushed and peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes with basil,
well drained and chopped (reserve liquid)
6 cups chicken broth or homemade broth, defatted
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 large (1/2 pound) shrimp, optional
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or
slivered basil leaves

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

Lightly oil a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Cut fresh tomatoes in half lengthwise.
Arrange, cut-side down,
in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
Drizzle with 1
tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sugar.
Roast for 3 hours, or until
very soft and wrinkled.
Let cool and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat remaining 1
tablespoon oil and crushed red pepper over medium/low heat.
Add
onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 10 to
12 minutes.

Add paprika and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute longer.

Add canned tomatoes and chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, reduce
heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes.
Remove
from heat and let cool.

Strain soup into a bowl and transfer solids to a food processor
or blender.
Puree until smooth, adding a little broth if necessary.
Return puree and broth to pot.
Whisk to combine.

Using a food mill, puree roasted tomatoes, or remove skins off
tomatoes and puree in food processor and strain through a coarse
sieve.
Add puree to soup.
(If the soup is too thick, add a little
of the reserved canned tomato liquid.) Season with salt and
pepper.

If using shrimp, cook in a large saucepan of boiling salted
water until they just turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes.
Drain and let
cool.
Peel shrimp and cut in half lengthwise.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with shrimp, if using,
and chives (or basil).
Serve immediately.

Fig Fudge (Morgado de Figos do Algarve - Portugal)

1/2 pound dried figs
1/2 pound ground almonds
2 ounces cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 pound granulated sugar
4 ounces water

Mince the figs finely or put them through a food processor.
Assemble the remaining dry ingredients, except for the sugar, in a
mixing bowl.

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan.
Bring to a
boil, stirring only until the sugar is dissolved, then boil without
stirring for a minute or two, just until it has thickened and is
slightly reduced.

Remove from the heat and beat in the remaining ingredients.
The
mixture will be very stiff.
Return to the heat and cook gently
until it is slightly shiny and comes away from the sides and bottom
of the pan in a mass.
This only takes a few minutes.

Pat into an 8-inch pan or shallow dish.
Allow it to cool, then
cut into small squares and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Fried Squid (Calamares Fritos)

This is a popular appetizer around the Mediterranean.
Serve with
a squeeze of lemon.

1 pound cleaned squid
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Salt
Lemon wedges

Cut squid body cones into 1/2-inch slices; leave tentacles
whole.
Pat dry.
Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches oil to 375 degrees F.

Coat squid with flour.
Dip into eggs; coat with bread crumbs.
Fry a few squid pieces at a time until golden brown, 2 to 3
minutes.
Drain; sprinkle with salt.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Yields 8 servings.

Tomato Rice (Arroz de Tomate - Portugal)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter or bacon drippings
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 to 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 cups beef or chicken broth
2 cups long-grain rice
Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes, until soft but not
brown.

Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a boil.
Stir in the rice, salt, and
pepper, and cover.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered
until the rice is done, about 20 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and garnish with chopped cilantro if
desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

Catalan Tomato Bread

1 (1 pound) loaf French or Italian bread
1 or 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (1/2 pound) ripe tomato, rinsed

Slice loaf in half horizontally.
Set halves, cut side upon a 15
x 12-inch baking sheet.
Broil about 4inches from heat until
toasted, about 2 minutes.
If crust side is soft, turn over and
toast 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Cut garlic clove in half.
Rub cloves over cut surface of brad.
Brush or drizzle bread with oil.
Cut tomato in half horizontally;
rub cut sides over toast, squeezing slightly to release juices.

Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch wide wedges.

Creme Brulee, Catalan Style (Crema Catalana)

6 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
Zest of 1 lemon
2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Beat the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a bowl.

Heat 3 cups of the milk, along with the lemon zest and cinnamon
stick, in a pot over moderate heat just until it begins to boil.
Remove the milk from the heat and strain into the egg mixture,
whisking constantly.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk and add it to the
mixture.
Pour the mixture into the pan and cook over low heat,
stirring constantly, just until it begins to bubble.

Pour into individual ovenproof serving dishes and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top of the
custards and place under a preheated broiler until the sugar is
melted, light brown and bubbling.
Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

Galician Almond Torte (Torta de Almendras Santiago)

This is usually decorated with a stenciled cross of Santiago de
Compostela on the top.

1 pound blanched, skinless almonds or almond powder
10 tablespoons butter
2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
Confectioners’ sugar

Toast the almonds in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until light
golden brown.
Process in a food processor until finely ground.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Beat
in the eggs one at a time.
Add the flour, ground almonds and lemon
zest and stir just until mixed.
Pour into a greased and floured
springform pan and bake until a knife blade inserted in the center
comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Cool for 15 minutes, then pour the lemon juice over the surface.
Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.
Dust with confectioners’
sugar before serving.

Serves 10 to 12.

Portuguese Tomato Rice (Arroz de Tomate)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter or bacon drippings
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 to 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 cups beef or chicken broth
2 cups long-grain rice
Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes, until soft but not
brown.

Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a boil.
Stir in the rice, salt, and
pepper, and cover.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered
until the rice is done, about 20 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and garnish with chopped cilantro if
desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

Portuguese Aviz Pork with Clams

Any type of lean pork can be used.
Use the smallest clams you
can find - cherrystones or even smaller.
The Portuguese marinate
their meat for at least two days, but marinating overnight is
sufficient for a spicy flavor.

1 (2 pound) pork loin, cut into 1-inch squares
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
Dry white table wine
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 to 3 tablespoons oil or lard
2 dozen cherrystone clams
3 cups cooked rice

Put pork cubes into a nonreactive bowl; sprinkle with salt,
pepper and paprika.
Cover with dry white table wine.
Add garlic and
bay leaves.
Cover; allow to stand overnight or at least 8 hours.
Drain; save juices.

Brown the pork slowly in oil or lard.
Add the juices from the
marinated meat.
Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Add clams in shells.
Cover; cook 10 to 12 minutes longer until
clams are opened.
Don’t cook too long or clams will become
tough.

Serve on or around a bed of cooked rice, which may or may not
have been cooked with a little clam broth.

Served with chilled white wine.
A Portuguese dry white wine
would be very nice.
Serves 6.

NOTE: This marinade for pork can also be used for pork chops.
The marinated pork chops are then fried or baked.

Potato, Onion and Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa -
Portugal)

1 pound dried salt cod
6 cups boiling water
2 pounds small white or new potatoes
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly-ground pepper, to taste
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges
12 to 18 oil-cured black olives
Additional chopped parsley

Soak the cod in water overnight in the refrigerator, changing
the water several times.
Drain and rinse well.
Place the cod in a
large saucepan and add the boiling water.
Simmer over moderate heat
for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cod flakes easily.
Drain and rinse
well, and flake into small pieces, removing any bones and bits of
skin.

Boil the potatoes until tender but firm, drain, and allow to
cool.
Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices.
Heat 2
tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over
moderate heat.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes,
stirring frequently, until tender but not brown.

Remove the onions and garlic from the skillet and set aside.

Add the sliced potatoes to the skillet, along with more olive
oil if necessary, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently,
until golden brown.

Layer half the potatoes in a well greased 2-quart casserole or
gratin dish.
Sprinkle with parsley and pepper, add one third of the
onion mixture, and half the cod.
Repeat, ending with a layer of the
onion mixture.
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 40
minutes, until hot and lightly browned.

Arrange the egg wedges and olives attractively on top, and
sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.

Serves 4 to 6.