Sunday, February 14, 2010

Dim Sum Sunday: Soup


Although we're about a month away from springtime on the calendar, if you're still looking at at least 12" of snow on the ground like I am, then springtime feels about as out of reach as the moon. Which means, soup still reigns at my dinner table. To me, there's nothing quite like a big ol' steaming spoonful rushing down the esophagus (gullet?) to warm the heart and the bones. Well, maybe brandy or scotch, but I'm pretty much on the wagon these days, so soup with spirits will just have to do.

Here's what I made last night. It's a simple tortellini and tomato soup, with a consistency that's more like a broth than a bisque. In other words, no creme, which means if you're guarding your waistline, this soup will do much less damage.

Hop on over to Shamu's to see what everyone else is ladling up for Dim Sum Sunday.

TOMATO TORTELLINI SOUP:

What:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup Marsala wine or cooking sherry
2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
48 ounces chicken broth
2 cups frozen or fresh tortellini
Grated Parmesan cheese


How:

Heat oil in a 5-quart pot and saute garlic until fragrant, but not browned. Add sherry and reduce for a few minutes until alcohol burns off. Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and herbs and bring to a boil. With a hand held chopper or in a blender, puree mixture until smooth.

This product ROCKS.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover, bring to a boil, and add tortellini to broth. Cook until the pasta is just heated through and tender to the tooth. Ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese.

9 comments:

Buzz Kill said...

When you said "soup with spirits" I was intrigued because I thought you were putting vodka in it butt hen I saw that it was sherry. I never think of that as alcohol for some reason. The soup looks good and so simple too.

Jenny said...

Buzz, if I were cooking soup there would be vodka in it!

Big Shamu said...

I want to make butt hen soup....

1) Soup sounds wonderful

2) How AWESOME is that cup and saucer? It's beautiful. Love that pattern.

3) I too have that set of tools and you're right, it ROCKS and is fun to use.

Great Dim Sum posting. It's still snowing.

moi said...

Buzz: Heh heh. You said "butt hen."

Boxer: Oh, this would be soooooo good with vodka!

Shamu: That's Stig Lindberg's Bersa pattern. Isn't it beautiful? My mother collected two china patterns since her late teens: this one and Arabia of Finland's Ruska. The good news is, she left me nearly complete sets of both. The bad news is, replacing or adding to the collection costs, oh, nothing less than an arm, leg, and torso.

Big Shamu said...

Will have to be on the lookout for that when I'm out shopping the vintage shops.

Big Shamu said...

You know....K9 has the perfect picture for our can of Butt Hen Soup.

Making Space said...

Oh that looks reeeeally good. Tomatoes, cheese, pasta, yes please!

Buzz Kill said...

You know, I meant to say butt hen - right?

LaDivaCucina said...

Simple, quick and delicious! I never think to make my own tomato soup for some reason! Yummy! Just so youse know, it's been cold here too so soup is perfect for dinner to night. (Well, cold for Miami, dontchoo be hatin'! haha!)

C U later after I post!