24 Jan 2012, Posted by Victoria in Dark Days Challenge,In the Kitchen, 10 Comments.

Eating Local: Snowy Day (one-pot) Tomato Bread Soup

Italians call it pappa al pomodoro, I call it heaven on a spoon. It’s getting cold (finally) in the DC area & my favorite way to warm up is with tomato bread soup. For this week’s DDC, I was challenged to make a one-pot meal for the fam. Though soup was a no brainer, I new what I wanted to make right away! My canning-cab is still full of tomatoes and a one-pot meal – that will feed us for dinner and many lunches – is just the thing I need to empty it.

This meal also afforded me a chance to clean out the freezer a bit too. No fresh herbs, so I used summer-2011 pesto cubes. And I found a quart of chicken stock I made and froze a month ago. Instead of using frozen bread crumbs to thicken the soup, I used a day-old baguette from Roots. It also turned into yummy crutons & garlic bread!

After emptying my pantry & freezer, I pulled together everything I needed to get the meal together. With the exception of salt, pepper & olive oil, this meal came from my garden, Breezy Willow Farm & Trickling Springs Creamery. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 jars of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart of chicken stock
• 2 small onions
• 4 cloves of garlic, 3 crushed, 1 whole (vampires beware!)
• 4 cubes of pesto
• 1 baguette, split down the center & insides removed & reserved (save the bread shell for crutons)
• olive oil
• half & half
• salt & pepper

Method:

1. in a large Dutch oven, sauté the onions & garlic until soft
2. add salt & crushed tomatoes, pesto cubes, & chicken stock
3. simmer for 30 mins, then add the soft bread & simmer for another 20-30 mins
4. oil the bread shells & broil for 4-5 mins (no extra pan here, just broil on the rack)
5. when done, rub with the whole garlic clove & chop into crutons or dipping pieces
6. plate & season to taste

Results:
The soup is tangy, herby, and perfect for a day that was so foggy I couldn’t see across the street. If you fancy, pour in a little half & half for a creamy tomato soup!

There’s a lot leftover, but I’ll take it for lunch & now have a little freezer real estate that could be used to store the soup for another rainy day. Do you have any one-pot meals that warm you up from head to toe on a cold winter day?