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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 saut� 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.