White Bean Soup with Roast Tomatoes & Basil Pistou

9/4/2023

This simple bean soup starts with dried beans, so it takes a while to make, but it's mostly hands off. It features delicious summer produce over a warming and comforting bowl of soup - great for a rainy day in the late summer or early fall.

White Bean Soup with Roast Tomatoes & Basil Pistou

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cup dried white beans (or beans of your choice)
6 cups water
salt and pepper, to taste
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1/2+ cup olive oil, divided
3 cups loose basil

Serves 4-6
Cook Time: 2+ hours

In a medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add onion and celery - allow to caramelize until golden brown - 15 minutes or so; then add carrot and garlic; allow to cook for another 10 minutes to develop deep, rich color and flavor. Add beans and water and simmer until done; depending on the age of the bean, this will generally take 2-3 hours. Check your beans periodically, as they will often need more water.
Towards the end of cooking roast your tomatoes and make your pistou. Toss tomatoes in 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 400 until they begin to pop.
Chop basil and add to chopper or small food processor with olive oil and salt. Blend until cohesive.
If you would like you can use and immersion blender to puree your beans completely or just a little. Ladle soup into bowls and top with roast tomatoes and basil pistou.

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Tomato Pie

9/4/2023

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Here's a Southern classic to add to your summer routine! I go easier on the cheese than a lot of recipes do, but I really want to highlight those garden fresh summer tomatoes. This also freezes well, so you can enjoy it in the dead of winter too!

Tomato Pie

Ingredients

1 pie crust
5-7 slicer tomatoes
1/3 cup fontina (Manchego or Havarti are good too)
1/3 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Blind bake pie crust according to package directions; meanwhile, slice tomatoes. Line two baking sheets with paper towels and lay tomato slices on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, flip slices and sprinkle other side. Allow tomatoes to drain for about 30 minutes, then press with more paper towels to help "ring out" some of the water.
Combine cheese and mayonnaise until they form a cohesive ball; press ball into "frisbee" shape to set on the top of pie.
If oven has cooled, preheat to 350. Sprinkle bottom of pie crust with 1/3 of the breadcrumbs, then shingle stack in tomato slices, then layer with 1/3 of the basil. Repeat another layer of breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and basil twice (you should have three layers of breadcrumbs, tomato, basil; top with remaining tomatoes (this means a total of four layers of tomato slices - they can dome up in the center because this will cook down, but use your judgement). Top with cheese/mayonnaise mixture and, finally, sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes. This will be incredibly hot, so please cool for a minimum of 15 minutes before slicing into.

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