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Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Soup




Source of Recipe


Website: The Boulder Camera 02/13/02


Recipe Introduction


"The sun-dried tomato-Parmesan soup at the Mountain Sun is the best I've ever had from any restaurant," writes Camera reader Sandy Marchlik. "I would love the recipe to make for myself."

Like a lot of good cooks, Mountain Sun's Kerri Sternberg created this recipe by imagining what two of her favorite foods — sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese — would taste like if brought together in one bowl. "I do a lot of experimenting," she says, "and I feel like I've gotten pretty good at it. This came out of an experiment. I like it and people seem to like it."

Onion, fresh garlic and celery are first saute&#eacute;d in a bit of olive oil. Then Sternberg adds red wine and lets it reduce. "I like to use red wine, not white, in tomato-based soups because I think it brings out the flavor of the tomato really well," she explains. Next comes house-made vegetable stock, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano and a bit of sugar. Cream and roux, that old-fashioned soup thickener, go into the pot later. At the end, Sternberg transfers the soup, along with a few generous handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan, to a blender, where it is pured to a slightly chunky consistency.

"The flavor is a little tangy but it's rich too," she says, "because of the cream and Parmesan, so it balances out."

If there is a secret to re-creating her soup at home, it is as old-fashioned as the roux that goes into it. "I put love into making the soup," Sternberg says. "I love making the soups here, and I make them from scratch almost every day. I take a lot of time. I don't just throw it all in and not taste it."




Recipe Link: http://web.dailycamera.com/food/recipes/

List of Ingredients




1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
8 cups vegetable stock
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (dried, not oil-soaked, recommended; but if using oil-soaked type, drain first)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan (do not substitute the dried version that comes in a can)

Recipe



Heat the oil in a medium-size pot and sauté the onion, garlic and celery over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Pour in the wine and reduce until you can no longer smell the alcohol, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the stock, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for a half-hour.

Pour in the cream and bring the soup back to a boil. In the meantime, in a separate small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and rapidly stir in the flour to make a roux, or thick paste. Once a paste has formed, add the roux to the soup, stirring it in well to thoroughly combine. The soup should start to thicken. Simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove from heat.

Blend soup in batches, adding a handful of Parmesan to each batch. The final consistency should be slightly chunky. Serve hot with a fresh baguette.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.