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Cuban Inspired Tomato Soup

I really enjoy playing with flavors from different cultures. I have been creating tomato soups with various cultural influences. The first one, Cuban!

cuban

What Flavors are in Cuban Foods?

Foods of Cuba are rich and hearty. They are full of starch and salt and fat. And they are so delicious. Dishes of pork or beef with rice and black beans is often seasoned with cumin, oregano, bay leaves and garlic.

cuban

Foods are simmered for long enough to meld all the flavors together and coax out the richness of the spices. This soup has all of that and more.

Making the Soup – 

First, heat the olive oil in a heavy pot. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper.

Cook gently, until the vegetables are starting to soften.

Add the oregano, bay leaf, cumin and lemon pepper. Stir and cook gently until the spices are fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes, broth and beans, then bring to a boil.

cuban

Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the bay leaves.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup leaving some large chunks.

Finally, stir in the butter and lemon juice. Let it all simmer for another 15 minutes.

Serve it hot garnished with green onions. We had it with grilled hams and cheese sandwiches! Delicious.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 5 votes
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Cuban Inspired Tomato Soup

A delicious soup made with the flavors of Cuba.

Course: main dish, Soup
Cuisine: ameican, cuban
Keyword: bell pepper, black beans, crushed tomatoes, cuba, cuban, cumin, garlic, green onion, lemon, oregano, tomato
Servings: 4 bowls
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
  • 2 large clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup Olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, rubbed between your hands
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 28 oz can, crushed tomatoes
  • 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1-1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup fresh meyer lemon juice (less tart than regular lemons)
  • chopped green onions for garnish
Instructions
  1. First, heat the olive oil in a heavy pot. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper.

  2. Cook gently, until the vegetables are starting to soften.

  3. Add the oregano, bay leaf, cumin and lemon pepper. Stir and cook gently until the spices are fragrant.

  4. Stir in the tomatoes, broth and beans, then bring to a boil.

  5. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  6. Remove the bay leaves.

  7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup leaving some large chunks.

  8. Finally, stir in the butter and lemon juice. Let it all simmer for another 15 minutes.

  9. Serve it hot garnished with green onions. We had it with pastrami sandwiches! Delicious.

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Pasta alla Amatriciana

Posted By HelenFern On In Internationally Inspired,Italian,Main dish,Pasta,Pasta,Side Dishes | 10 Comments

We’ve covered three of the four pastas of Rome – and here is the final dish – Pasta alla Amatriciana

amatriciana

What are the Four Pastas of Rome?

The four pastas of Rome are cacio e pepe, gricia, carbonara and amatriciana. They are all made using the same technique of vigorous mixing to form a sauce with the cheese and pasta water. It take practice.

My first try the cheese all clumped up and didn’t melt into the sauce. I thought perhaps I had the pasta and water too hot – and the cheese not grated down enough. So I tried again, letting everything cool a little and grinding the cheeses up in the food processor. The finely ground cheese just melted into the pasta and came out amazing!

Cacio e Pepe [5]

The foundation of the four is cacio e pepe – literally means cheese and pepper. The ancient shepherds carried with them cacio cheese, dried spaghetti  and pepper. With these megar ingredients, they could whip up a delicious, satisfying meal in the fields.

cacio

This past is typically made with spaghetti or bucatini and tossed, vigorously, with pecorino romano and parmesan reggiano cheeses, some fresh ground black pepper and a little pasta water. Sound easy? Well – success is in the technique. For more information and the recipe, click here [5].

Pasta alla Gricia [6]

The next pasta on the list – pasta alla gricia. This one is almost exactly like cacio e pepe, with the addition of guanciale. Guanciale is a cured pork jowl (or cheek), similar to bacon but saltier. It’s origins go back to ancient Roman times.

Vincent's Meat Market - Licini Guanciale Cured Pork Jowls, Perfect Pasta Carbonara , Salted & Spiced, Artisanal Italian Delicacy, Gourmet Recipe, Premium Quality, Rich, Savory Flavor - 8 oz [7]

click on picture to go and purchase from Amazon

This pork is diced, then cooked until the fat is rendered.

I couldn’t find any information on the traditional type of pasta. It looks like it all depends on what you have on hand!  Click here [6] for the recipe.

Pasta Carbonara [8]

Pasta Carbonara, probably the most well known of the four. The sauce on this one is sort of a combination of the cacio e pepe and the gricia with some egg added to the mix. It’s usually on spaghetti, but I’ve seen it on penne and rigatoni too. I used pappardelle.

cacio

It’s origins aren’t as easy to follow as the ancient two. There is speculation that it was inspired by a pasta from Naples – cacio e uova, meaning cheese and eggs. Click here [8] for more information and the recipe.

Pasta alla Amatriciana –

And the last of the four, Pasta alla Amatriciana. Just a few ingredients – pecorino romano cheese, tomatoes, guanciale, and some red chili flakes. This pasta is typically on rigatoni and has a rich, creamy, tomatoey sauce.

amatriciana

This peasant sauce is said to have been passed down generations from father to son. Since we know tomato sauce came around in the late 1600s, we know it was soon after that. This delicious sauce was born in the town of Amatrice.  It is believed this recipe was passed down orally from father to son.  The first written record of this sauce was in 1816 when it was served at the court of the Pope.

All of these pastas are really about the sauce. You can serve them using any pasta you have on hand or the pasta you like the best (I love orecchiette). Once you get the hang of the stirring up the sauce, you’ll make all of these again and again.

The Saucing Technique (Practice makes perfect)

This is the most important part of the pasta. If it isn’t done right, you’ll have clumps of melted cheese instead of a creamy sauce. Not quite as bad as clumps is tiny grated chunks that don’t melt. The goal is a cream sauce.

Cook the pasta in a large, tall pot. When it is slightly al dente (just slightly done), drain it, but be sure to save one cup of the pasta water. There is flavor and starch in it that will really help to create a creamy sauce.

Put the pasta back in the pot and let it cool slightly. Add 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water and stir briskly.

Add just a splash of cold water to finely grated romano and parmesan cheese with fresh cracked pepper.

Stir it with a fork to make a paste.

Drop the paste on top of the pasta,

cacio

then stir fast and hard for about 3 to 4 minutes. The harder and faster the better – almost like whisking with a spoon. Add a more pasta water, a little at a time, if the sauce is too thick.

When everything is well blended into a creamy sauce, serve it immediately!

Making the Pasta alla Amatriciana

This dish is a little different than the other three. It has a delicious tomato base with all the delicious cheese. You can use any kind of pasta, but I used rigatoni.

This pasta is prepared a little different than all the other. It includes tomatoes and some crushed pepper, giving it a little zip!

Cook the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the water when it’s drained.

While it’s cooking, cook the guanciale in a dutch oven until most of the fat is rendered.

amatriciana

Add the crushed tomatoes, chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper, about 10 turns.

Stir and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the pasta to the pot with just a splash of the pasta water.

Amatriciana

Next add the cheese and stir vigorously for two to three minutes,

until it’s melted and blended with the rest of the sauce.

Serve hot, topped with a little more parmesan.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 6 votes
Amatriciana
Print [9]
Pasta alla Amatriciana

A delicious traditional pasta with tomatoes, cheese and some chili flakes for a little zip!

Course: Main Course, main dish, Pasta, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian, Roman
Keyword: bell pepper, chili flakes, fire roasted tomatoes, guanciale, pancetta, parmesan regiano, romano, Rome
Servings: 4 servings
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. dry pasta
  • 8 oz guanciale or pancetta
  • 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
  • 10 - 12 turns cracked black pepper
  • 1-1/2 oz parmesan reggiano
  • 1/2 oz pecorino romano
  • more parm for garnish
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the water when it's drained.

  2. While it's cooking, cook the guanciale in a dutch oven until most of the fat is rendered.

  3. Add the crushed tomatoes, chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper, about 10 turns.

  4. Stir and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

  5. Add the pasta to the pot with just a splash of the pasta water.

  6. Next add the cheese and stir vigorously for two to three minutes, until it's melted and blended with the rest of the sauce. Add a little more pasta water if it's too dry.

  7. Serve hot, topped with a little more parmesan. 

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

 

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thought

Coffee Crusted Ahi with Sweet Onion and Tomato Relish

Posted By HelenFern On In Fish,Main dish | 6 Comments

National gourmet coffee day was last month. It made me start thinking about my coffee crusted ahi and decided to play around with the idea. Crusted with lemon pepper and coffee grounds, seared and topped with a fresh relish. It came out really good.

coffee

Give it a try – I think you’ll like it!

Prepping the Ahi

This will be the very first thing you do. It’s going to have to chill.

Whisk the lemon pepper, coffee grounds and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

coffee

Roll the ahi [13] steaks in the mixture and coat on all sides.

Place in a single layer, cover and refrigerate at least 30 min.

Making the relish

Place the onion, tomatoes and capers in a large bowl. Gently stir.

In another small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt with 4 turns of fresh cracked pepper.

Pour the mixture over the vegetables and gently stir. Set aside and let rest at least 30 minutes. Letting it sit for a bit allows the flavors to meld and compliment each other.

Cooking the steaks and serving

Heat a heavy grill pan on medium high to high heat. Brush on the oil. This is why grapeseed oil is used. It can tolerate high heats before it starts to smoke.

When the oil is hot, gently lay the steaks on the grill.

coffee

Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. To make it rare, the internal temperature should be 90 to 100; medium rare, 130 degrees.

Remove the steaks from the heat to a warm plate. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes.

[14]

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Top each steak with 1/4 of the relish, then drizzle it all with white truffle oil. Truffle oil is pretty expensive at the grocery store. I ordered mine from Amazon

Serve with orzo or rice.

5 from 5 votes
Print [15]
Coffee Crusted Ahi with Sweet Onion and Tomato Relish

Crusted with lemon pepper and coffee, then seared to desired doneness. A fresh onion and tomato relish tops it off.

Course: dinner, Main Course, supper
Cuisine: American, seafood
Keyword: ahi, capers, coffee, lemon, lemon pepper, sweet onion, tomato, tuna, white truffle oil
Servings: 4 servings
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
  • 4 1" thick ahi steaks
  • 2 Tablespoons used coffee grounds
  • 2 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Relish
  • 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped (Like walla walla or vidalia)
  • 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon capers
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 4 turns fresh cracked pepper - medium grind
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • drizzle white truffle oil
Instructions
Preparing the Steaks
  1. This will be the very first thing you do. It's going to have to chill.

    Whisk the lemon pepper, coffee grounds and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

  2. Roll the steaks in the mixture and coat on all sides.

  3. Place in a single layer, cover and refrigerate at least 30 min. 

Making the Relish
  1. Place the onion, tomatoes and capers in a large bowl. 

  2. In another small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt with 4 turns of fresh cracked pepper.

  3. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and gently stir. Set aside and let rest at least 30 minutes. 

Cooking and Serving the Steaks
  1. Heat a heavy grill pan on medium high to high heat. Brush on the oil. This is why grapeseed oil is used. It can tolerate high heats before it starts to smoke.

  2. When the oil is hot, gently lay the steaks on the grill.

  3. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. To make it rare, the internal temperature should be 90 to 100; medium rare, 130 degrees.

  4. Remove the steaks from the heat to a warm plate. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes.

  5. Top each steak with 1/4 of the relish, then drizzle it all with white truffle oil.

Recipe Notes

 

This dish goes great with rice or orzo!

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Heirloom Tomato Toast

Posted By HelenFern On In Appetizers | 8 Comments

I love heirloom tomatoes. My favorite are brandywine. This recipe uses fresh, sliced tomatoes (straight from my garden, but farmer’s markets have wonderful options too) on toast with melted cheese. Minimal ingredients, maximum flavor!

What is an Heirloom Tomato?

It’s the seeds that make an heirloom tomato and heirloom. They are passed on from season to season without modification. They are open pollinated – which means they are pollinated by bees and butterflies, even flies or wind and rain. The same plant is produced year after year.

They are not bred for shelf live or beauty. They are thin skinned, lumpy, often have cracks, and are full of lusciously rich flavor. But not all are slicers.

A slicer tomato has a meaty interior and a little less juice than other tomatoes. This makes them the perfect choice for sandwiches [19]. I grew brandywine and oregon spring. The brandywine – a great slicing tomato, has more solid meat and less watery seed pockets. And perfect for this recipe.

The tomato on the left is a brandywine and the one on the right is an Oregon spring. Although both are slicers, but you can see the difference in the heirloom variety – which is why this recipe calls for an heirloom slicer.

The best heirloom slicers include the brandywine, purple cherokee, striped German or black krimm.

Making the toast – 

Start the toasts by mixing the olive oil, truffle oil and salt together in a dish. Brush the toasts liberally with the oil mixture.

Now bake in a 350 degree oven for about five to ten minutes – or until the toasts are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. It’s important to keep a watch on them. Each oven is different so one oven may take longer while another will burn the toast quickly.

While the toasts are baking, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, thyme and parmesan together in a bowl.

Let the toasts cool, then spread each piece with the mayonnaise mixture.

Next, top the toasts with sliced tomatoes,

grated parmesan (not the dried in can) and broil them for about four to five minutes or 

or until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven and cut in half. Garnish with a little more fresh thyme and serve.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 5 votes
Print [20]
Heirloom Tomato Toast

Toast spread with a tangy mayonnaise and dressed with beautiful heirloom tomatoes and toasted with parmesan cheese.

Course: Appetizer, appetizers, hors d'oeuvre, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, garden fresh
Keyword: french toast, parmesan, sourdough, thyme, tomato, truffle oil
Servings: 8 appetizers
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
  • 4 large slices sourdough bread
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon black truffle oil
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/8 cup yellow mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves - and more for garnish
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan (from the deli not the can)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Start the toasts by mixing the olive oil, truffle oil and salt together in a dish. Brush the toasts liberally with the oil mixture.

  2. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about five to ten minutes - or until the toasts are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. It's important to keep a watch on them. Each oven is different so one oven may take longer while another will burn the toast quickly.

  3. While the toasts are baking, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, thyme and parmesan together in a bowl.

  4. Let the toasts cool, then spread each piece with the mayonnaise mixture..

  5. Top the toasts with sliced tomatoes, grated parmesan (not the dried in can) and broil them for about four to five minutes or until the cheese is melted.

  6. Remove from the oven and cut in half. Garnish with a little more fresh thyme and serve.

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Baked Summer Vegetables

Posted By HelenFern On In Fruits and Vegetables | 6 Comments

It’s time to pull out the vegetable plants and prep the beds for next year,  but there are still some fruits on the plants. There was just a little bit of this, a little bit of that – I added it with some leftover bits of produce in the refrigerator and a perfect baked vegetable side dish comes together!

What kind of vegetables can be baked?

You can use any veggies in this dish. I used tomatoes [24] and squash with a few mushrooms and onions I had in the refrigerator. You could also use green beans or peas – peppers, greens (like chard, kale or spinach), and tomatillos would also be great choices.

It’s really up to you, what you have and what sounds tasty to you!

Making the dish – 

Cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Lay them in single layer on a foil covered sheet pan. Sprinkle the olive oil evenly over the top of them all, add some salt and pepper.

Cover with the cheese –

baked

then bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

baked

Garnish the baked veggies with some fresh, flat leafed parsley and serve hot!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 2 votes
Print [25]
Baked Summer Vegetables

The very last of the harvest and a few odds and ends from the fridge - and a perfectly delicious side dish is created!

Course: garden fresh, Side Dish, summer
Cuisine: garden fresh
Keyword: baked, blue cheese, green onion, mixed vegetables, mushrooms, squash, tomatoes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
  • 4 - 5 cups cut up vegetables (I used summer squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (I used parmesan, but cheddar or jack would also work great)
Instructions
  1. Cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

  2. Lay them in single layer on a foil covered sheet pan. Sprinkle the olive oil evenly over the top of them all, add some salt and pepper.

  3. Cover with the cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

  4. Garnish with some fresh, flat leafed parsley. Serve hot!

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

 

I was featured!

[26]

baked

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!