Tomato Soup to Comfort the Soul
Wow, has it really been 12 months since my last post?! It always amazes me how much time flies. I have no excuses to make, nor do I feel like I need to justify anything. The past year has taken me through a full spectrum of emotions and experiences, none of which I would change. In spite of everything that has happened, I been battling creative block.
But, here I am today, facing the same screen and blinking cursor which has been haunting me for months.
It’s February and we’re in the middle of winter. Snow storms and below freezing temperatures drag us towards heartwarming meals and into cozy blankets, in search of comfort to console our lack of sunshine. To heal my soul from the harshness of winter and my emotional-creative-rollercoaster, I was craving a wholesome tomato soup.
Completely ignoring the fact it is not tomato season, making a soup with these pasty winter tomatoes we get here in Quebec is probably the best way to have them, second only to oven-roasted. This recipe is my own and I hope it brings you warmth as much as it did for me.
Winter’s Tomato Soup
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 4 cups Italian tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
- fresh sprigs of thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, pepper and thyme. Cook stirring occasionally until the onions and peppers are soft. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, turn the heat down to medium, cover and allow them to cook down for a few minutes.
Once the tomatoes begin to soften, add the balsamic vinegar and stir. Add the sundried tomatoes and water. Once the water reaches a soft boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the tomato soup is cooked, remove from heat and let it cool a bit before puréeing it in a blender.
To serve, simply reheat the tomato soup and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, butter or cream, with grilled bread, a spoonful of plain yogurt or sour cream, or even topped with some cheese. Whatever it is you’re craving, go for it!
Cute Cooking Tools and a Contest with Mortimer Snodgrass
I love cooking gadgets, can never have too many of them. Some are professional, some not so much and others just because they make me smile.
When I stumbled into Mortimer Snodgrass‘ shop in Old Montreal I was drawn into the big bright space and all the quirky objects that suck you in with curiosity, and perhaps a little child-like wonder. A lot of the fun cooking gadgets they have in store would be great for hosting ideas (or bringing to a dinner party as a gift), and some perfect to get your kids involved in the kitchen… afterall, conscious eating habits are important right from the start!
I had received Russian doll measuring cups as a gift years ago, which i always keep handy (and pretty on my kitchen counter). So I just couldn’t resis picking up the matching containers and measuring spoons. Anything red is irrestible and so was this small handy zester. However, it is this finger spatula that I just cannot wait to use. LIfe has kept me busy and away from my kitchen but I look forward to spending more time getting reacquainted with my kitchen and try all these fun new tools!
Well, this cute little shop on Notre Dame in Montreal’s Old Port is celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a contest, where you can win one of three loot bags! Contest details are written out below. Do you have a favorite quirky gadget you like to use in your kitchen?
Snodversary Contest!!!!
Kind of hard to believe, but it was 10 years ago this month that we rented that tiny little store on Monkland and opened our doors…. Truth be told, we had no idea what we were doing, and we are thrilled to be here, loved by so many, still having fun, 10 years later. Also, the store is so much bigger and prettier now, we are quite thankful for that!
To thank you, our customers, we are launching our Snodversary month with a giveaway. There are 3 prizes for in-store customers and 2 prizes for on-line fans. Here is how we will do this:
In Store: until October 31st, come to the store and with any purchase, we will give you a ballot to fill out.
On-line: you can either follow us on Twitter or on our Facebook page and give us a shout out. It can be anything, how much you love us, retweeting one of our tweets, using our famous #snodversary hash tag or posting something on your wall or ours. If we see our name, we will automatically enter you in our draw, every time.
On November 1st, we will draw the winners at random. Now, wanna know what you are playing for? The two green bags are for the on-line fans, the 3 colorful ones are for the in-store shoppers.
Kristel’s Kitchen First Foodie Giveaway!
I am very excited to present my first ever giveaway!!! One Dishcrawl Montreal ticket up for grabs!!!
So what is a Dishcrawl? Imagine this: a crowd of foodies getting together for an evening of food and passionate conversation revolving around new flavours, their creators, the chefs and establishments. Dishcrawl brings all of these elements together. You get to discover new restaurants, meet new people and share an experience.
To read up about other Dishcrawls I have attended, click here, here and here!
Now, let’s get down to business – the giveaway. I have one ticket to give to one lucky person to attend the next Dishcrawl on August 23rd, which will be hosted by me and will feature restaurants in and around Crecent Street here in Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Who is eligible? Anyone who lives in and around Montreal, who can attend the Dishcrawl on August 23rd. The ticket is not eligible for another event.
How can you get it? By commenting on this blog post and only on this blog post. Comments from Twitter and Facebook will not be accepted as valid entries to this contest. Additionally, to be eligible the comment must to be a funny story that happened on Crescent Street here in Montreal. Something that happened to you, an odd incident you witnessed or your friend did something really embarrassing that you promised to never tell is even better! ;-)
Share your story and by 10 am on Thursday, August 18th, 2011, I will annouce the winner. The winner will be the one who will merit the loudest, capitalized and bolded Laugh.Out.Loud. (a.k.a. LOL)
So… ready, set, type! The contest starts now!
AND THE DISHCRAWL TICKET WINNER IS….
I decided to remove any bias from this contest and a winner was selected at random from a third party.
Congrats to Elizabeth Ranger from elizabethranger.wordpress.com who commented below and has won a ticket to the Crescent Dishcrawl happening here in Montreal on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011.
To Élizabeth: I am looking forward to meeting you next week and you will get an email from me today!
To everyone else: a HUGE thank you for taking the time to participate!! Keep reading, keep commenting, and stay tuned for more contests!!!
A Guest Post on Ici et Here
When I was asked by Jackson (click here to like his new Facebook page) to write a post for his blog Ici et Here, which features 52 authors over the course of 52 weeks writing about food and life in Montreal, I was absolutely thrilled to be a part of such an interesting project.
Shortly after my initial excitement, two thoughts came into my head: Montreal? and why me? There is so much so say about Montreal, its food, its diversity, its community, and its lifestyle. What exactly is it that connected me to this city? Why is it that I have chosen to stay, though debating for many years to move to another city?
So, before moving on, I want to say thank you to Ici et Here and FAIT ICI for inviting me to write my story about food and Montreal. I am very excited to share this personal story with you. Like all my other stories, this one also comes with a tasty recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
To read my guest post on Ici et Here, click here: http://www.iciethere.com/kristels-kitchen/
Dishcrawl Insprired by Food Guy Montreal
Yes, you got it… I experienced yet another Dishcrawl. What can I say? Looks like I’m hooked. It is always the same concept (read about my previous experiences here and here), but always different.
It is always fun to meet new people, see familiar faces and finally meeting some fantastic foodies off of the blogosphere.
Last week’s Dishcrawl was inspired by Food Guy Montreal, who I’ve been chit-chatting with on Twitter for a while but I finally had the chance of meeting in person. I was really looking forward to discovering his selection for the evening and he did not disappoint.
The first stop was at DNA. We were presented with a Spicy Goat Tartare, accompanied with a mint jelly crostini. The dish was top notch. Great flavour combination was spot on, the mint helped cool down the heat and the parmesan shavings gave a nice punch to the dish. I love my spicy food but this time I really would have preferred less heat to really set the focus on the goat meat. I mean how often do you get served local, organic, milk fed goat? Not everyday. And when you do, wouldn’t you want to taste the particularities of the meat? I would say yes. Nonetheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed the dish.
Our next stop was at Osteria Venti. I was very happy that this restaurant was one of our stops because I wanted to try it since it opened. I was particularly excited about this Italian eatery because the chef Michele Forgione makes everything from scratch. You name it, he’s made it. We were presented with a charcuterie platter: mortadella, Italian sausage, porchetta, smoked duck magret, and head cheese, served with house pickles. Everything was delicious, particularly the head cheese and mortadella, never tasted anything like it in my life. We were also served a dish of freshly made ricotta gnocchi with tomato and basil. The gnocchi were light fluffy pillows, perfect as they were, welcomed with the tomato basil sauce. So simple, so comforting. This place is one of those few places worth going back to again again, just to taste a bit of everything their extensive menu has to offer.
Our final stop for the evening was at Brit & Chips for desserts. I had been there before for none-other than their fish and chips – the best I’ve had in this city. Try the maple batter; it’s subtle, and nicely balances the sweet and savoury. Now, moving on to dessert, the reason for our visit, it boils down to three words: Deep Fried Whatever, a.k.a. a deep fried O’Henry bar. Yup, it’s exactly what it is. Nothing more. Nothing less. So bad for you, but if you have room for three or four bites, go ahead and try it at least once (just add a couple kilometers to tomorrow’s run). It was yummy. I was happy. =)
June is here, happy summer y’all! The next Montreal Dishcrawl will be a terrace-hopping, and like all others, an experience you don’t want to miss!
Out of my fridge
Food is our common ground, a universal experience – James Beard
Every one’s gotta eat! It’s simple enough, a basic survival instinct. Lucky for us we’re at the top of the food chain and have opposable thumbs at our disposal. Now, it’s time to put them to good use and rekindle that long lost love affair with your knife and skillet. The best meal comes right out my own fridge and is at the core of my daily life. I live for every meal. Yes I love food, I love preparing food, but most importantly I adore the moments that food creates. The moments range from heading to the market on a sunny Saturday, chopping onions with goggles on, taming flare-ups on the bbq, sitting down for a hearty stew on a cold winter day, and perhaps one too many glasses of wine with friends and family. Just as simply, it can be sharing an ingredient, a recipe, a technique that will be passed on from one kitchen to another, and today that is my goal. Together we’ll get a few burns, heal a few scars, create some memories. This is my everyday kitchen and I hope you enjoy it.
