Roasted Tomato and Chicken Soup with Broiled Aged Swiss & Fresh Mozzarella

Here is my first recipe for the Tomato Throwdown between Edible Love and Just for Cooking. Both Mary Kay and I have a joint page on Facebook!! It is called:

Just for Cooking & Edible Love (Two Smart Women - Two Delicious Blogs!)

 

(If you have not seen it, please stop by and "Like" our community page)　

         

This is a great recipe and is along the lines of french onion soup....MMMM!!

Ingredients:

Soup

3 pounds plum tomatoes, about 8 large, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small garlic bulb, unpeeled
1/2 large yellow onion, cut in a small dice
2 tbsp. torn fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. of sugar
3 cups beef stock
1 cup of red wine (merlot or pinot noir)
pinch of dried crushed red pepper
4 large chicken thighs
kosher salt
black pepper

 Crouton and Cheese

4 1-inch slices of crusty Ciabatta bread, toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one sideAged Swiss cheese (you can also use grated gruyere)
Fresh mozzarella

Preparation:

Soup

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic bulb in foil. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add garlic package to the baking sheet. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.
At the same time season the chicken generously with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Roast for 1 hour. Let cool and then remove the skin and discard (it’s all fat) then remove all the meat from the bone in chunks and put aside.Unwrap garlic packet and slice off the top and squeeze out the garlic. Put the garlic, tomatoes and any accumulated juices in the food processor. Pulse the machine until tomatoes are a chunky puree (if you prefer it smooth pulse a few more times, to your desired consistency). In a medium stock pot add a tbsp of olive oil and onion and cook until tender about 2 minutes. Transfer the pureed tomatoes to the pot and add chicken, basil, crushed red pepper, sugar, stock and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Preheat your broiler. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place toast slices in each bowl, buttered side up. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of the toast, then 2 to 3 slices of aged swiss (let the slices hang over the edge). Place soups under the heating element for a minute or two or until the cheese is melted and golden bubbly.

Tilapia with Dill, Brown Butter and Lemons

This dish is a great quick fix meal for during the hectic week!! I know I have them and I am sure you do as well. We all know it is getting warm out (especially down here in the south so quick meals are great so your not heating up the kitchen!  : )

Ingredients:

6 Tilapia filets
2 lemons, 1 sliced in rounds, 1 zested and juiced
4 tbsp butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp dill weed, plus more for fish and sauce
½ tsp kosher salt, plus more for fish
1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more for fish
1/3 cup of olive oil

Preparation:

Season both sides of the Tilapia with kosher salt, pepper , dill weed and the juice of half a lemon. In a shallow dish add the flour, ½ of the dill weed, ½ tsp of kosher salt, ½ tsp of black pepper and lemon zest and mix it together.

In a large skillet add the olive oil and heat to med high.
Dredge the fish in the flour then add to the heated olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the fish is golden brown. Turn fish over gently away from you (Don’t need anyone getting hot oil on them). Cook for another 2 minutes or again until golden brown an crispy. Remove from pan and place on a platter.
Lower the heat to medium and remove the oil from the pan. Put the skillet back on the heat and add the butter, juice of half a lemon and lemon rounds and dill weed and cook until the butter is browned and lemons are caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle the brown butter over the Tilapia and place the lemons on the top.

You can serve with a fresh coleslaw and tomato slices seasoned with salt and pepper drizzled with balsamic vinegar!

Boneless Pork Cutlets with apple butter and mustard glaze

I finally got a chance to sit down and get this recipe posted that I prepared this week (Another to come tonight). They are quick and easy to make and I hope you enjoy them!





Served with Cannellini beans sauted with roasted red pepper with rosemary and pea jag

 

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Pork loin cutlets, about ½ to 1 inch thick
1 cup of bread crumbs
3 tbsp brown grain mustard
2 tbsp apple butter
1 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp orange blossom honey
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
　

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Season the pork generously with kosher salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl mix together mustard, apple butter, horseradish, honey and a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper.

 In a separate bowl add the bread crumbs.

Spread about a half a teaspoon of the glaze over the top of the first chop then push into the bread crumbs then add another teaspoon of glaze to the bottom side of the chop, flip and push into the bread crumbs. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with the other three cutlets. Drizzle the tops of the cutlets with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Test for doneness at 20 min., should be an internal temperature of 145°F to 150°F Do not over cook or they will be dry. You want them moist and tender with a nice crunch on the outside! 　



Served with
Served with Cannellini beans sauted with roasted red pepper with rosemary and pea jag

Chicken Parmigiano

Well Hello Everyone!!

I want to apologize for being absent but I took a little vacation and disconnected. Much needed and now I am ready for the world!  This dish is something I love to make and love to eat. I also adore veal parm so you can choose which source of protein works best for you.

I am in the process of starting a work out routine...at least four days a week and with that comes healthy meals. I am not a dieter per say, I just become more aware of what I am putting in my mouth. Smaller portions and less sugar. This dish is really not all that bad....just make sure you use heart healthy olive oil and shake off excess breading...that brings down the calories and fat. It is not living if you deprive yourself.

I will keep you updated on my progress and I am hoping all of you start thinking and acting on getting in better shape and eating well.

Until next time...Have a lovely day and happy eating!

xoxo

 
Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 28-ounce can crushed tomato
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Chicken
3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
1 cup (about) all purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cups coarsely grated mozzarella
1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Tomato sauce
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until onions are soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add tomato and basil; bring to a low boil Reduce heat to low and simmer. Season sauce to taste with kosher salt and pepper.
Chicken
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place chicken breast halves in a large plastic zip lock bag. Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken breasts to 1/3-inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Put breadcrumbs in a wide bowl. Whisk eggs to blend in a wide bowl. Put flour in a wide bowl. Coat both sides of chicken with flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs. 
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken to skillet and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed (chicken will not be cooked through). Transfer chicken to platter lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Then place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread sauce over the top of the chicken. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the mozzarella, Parmesan, and Pecorino over the top. Place back in the oven and bake until cheeses melts and chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and basil and serve with your favorite pasta or a fresh salad.