Tomato Soup Country Style

I love tomato soup but am always looking for variations. This variation uses Savoy cabbage.

Tomato Soup Country Style

10 slices bacon, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and chopped
2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Sauterne
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 small Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 cup cooked long-grain rice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Saute bacon in large soup pot over low heat. Drain all but 1 Tbs of the fat. Add onions and leeks. Saute until wilted. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the Sauterne and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage, basil and Thyme and simmer partially covered for 40 minutes. Add the rice and garlic.

Allow the soup to cool then puree in blender. Return soup to pot and add remaining Sauterne, salt & pepper. Cook for 30 more minutes.

Serve with basil.



2016 04 02

Williamson Winery

Williamson Winery in Healdsburg offers a food-and-wine pairing. Choose Fridge Food & Wine pairing at no cost, the Legacy Food & Wine Pairing for $25/person or the Icon Food & Wine Pairing for $50. I opted for the Icon pairing with some of their more exclusive wines but found a Groupon for half the cost.

Potato Leek Potage with Crispy Prosciutto, paired with 2013 Amourette Chardonnay--$45/bottle. The chardonnay was un-oaked and worked well with the creaminess of the potage.

Arancini with Duck Fat & Truffle Tremor on Plum Sauce, paired with 2013 Passion Pinot Noir--$75/bottle. The arancini was perfectly creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside without being greasy.

Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, paired with 2013 Amour Merlot--$49. This Merlot is a clone of Chateau Petrus 181, widely regarded as one of the best wine in Bordeaux. One cookie had mint on top and it was amazing what a difference the little mint made.

Deconstructed Charcouterie Plate, paired with 2012 Clarissa Vin Rouge--$65. The marinated mushroom, combined with the marinated pepper, olive and salami was delicious with the vin rouge.

Chateaubriand with Gorgonzola Compound Butter, paired with 2012 Indulge Cabernet Sauvignon--$72. The gorgonzola was creamy and delicious with the cabernet.

Slider with Tasty Meat Sprinkle with Balsamic, Garlic & Herb Jam and a smear of Black Garlic Aioli with Honey, paired with 2010 Elate Grange Cuvee--$75. 

2015 04 03

Carlisle Winery

I tasted my first Carlisle Zinfandel a few years ago and got on their list to purchase wine. I haven't been allocated much. At this pickup party this weekend, I was surprised that they had Papera Ranch to sell. This wine scored 96 points on Wine Spectator.

They always have Rosso's pizza at their pickup party. The pizza is so good. I love Neapolitan-style thin crust pizza.

2016 04 02

Chapeau!

After Wicked, we had dinner at Chapeau! I have a friend who raved about it and we finally got a chance to try it. Chapeau! has an exclamation point--without the exclamation point, chapeau is hat in French. According to their menu, with the exclamation point, Chapeau! means "wow."

It's located at 126 Clement Street. We were there on Easter night and you could choose either a 3-course dinner for $55 or a 4-course dinner for $65. They used to have an early-bird dinner. Since their website is under construction, I couldn't tell if they still offered it.

Chapeau! is a classic French restaurant. The dishes were good but there was nothing innovative about their dishes.

We each had the 3-course option and there was plenty of food.

Amuse Bouche--Cream of Carrot with Creme Fraiche & Nutmeg.

Salade Nicoise "A Ma Facon"--Ahi Tuna, Haricots Verts, White Anchovy & Kalamata Olive, 1:45 Quail Egg, Cherry Tomato, Mache with Lemon-Honey Aigre-Doux. The tuna was perfectly prepared but the anchovy was way too fishy. I couldn't really figure out what 1:45 quail egg was but maybe it refers to how long it was cooked.

Vol-au-Vent Sweetbreads--Oyster & King Trumpet Mushrooms, Baby Carrot & Turnip, Sauce Au Marsala. The sweetbreads were good but my husband prepares it better. His sweetbreads have a crisper coating. The vol-au-vent was slightly undercooked.

Canard a l'Orange--Braised Duck Leg & Pan Seared Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast, Celery Root "Facon Fettuccini a la Creme," Bok Choy, Duck Jus a L'Orange. The celery root fettuccini was the only thing that was innovative.

Cassoulet de Toulouse--Cannellini Beans, Shredded Braised Lamb Shoulder, Duck Leg Confit, Garlic & Toulouse Sausage. This was very good and would have been excellent if the beans had been cooked about 15 minutes longer. The duck was tender and the sausage was delicious. It wasn't greasy at all.

French Toast--Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Hazelnut Creme Anglaise

Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake--Banana Flambee & Rum Raisin Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce

2016 03 27

Wicked

I had never seen Wicked and was happy when they returned to the Orpheum in San Francisco. I loved the production. It was a great story about Oz before Dorothy arrived. We were in Row D in the Mezzanine and I think the Loge or the Mezzanine is the place to sit for this production. If you sat in the first few rows of the Orchestra, you wouldn't be able to see the dragon as well.

2016 03 27

House of Bagels

I was near House of Bagels and picked up bagels to take to a brunch. It's located at 1681 Hollenbeck in Sunnyvale. I paid for 12 bagels and got a 13th free. The total cost, including a small whipped cream cheese, was $20.80.

They do have different bagels including asiago cheese, cheddar, pesto and jalapeño. The bagels were chewy but too greasy. I like Posh Bagels better and will have to drive out of my way next time.



2016 03 27

Thursday Night Dinner

Here's this week's Thursday night dinner at Flavor Bistro. This is still a great deal--4-courses with 4 wine pairings for $24.95.

Calamari E Fagioli--Local Calamari & Cannellini Beans Served in Brodetto Di Vino Bianco Flavored with Garlic, Sweet Basil, Toy Box Tomatoes & Extra Virgin Olive Oil, paired with 2014 Artazuri Garnacha Rosado, Navarra, Spain

Risotto Al Savor--Arborio Rice Cooked with Homemade Pork Sausage, Organic Spinach & Ricotta 

Topped with Walnut Gremolata, paired with 2014 Sean Minor Pinot Noir, Central Coast

Agnello Alla Griglia--Grilled Lavender-Marinated Lamb Loin Chop Garnished with Slow Cooked Sweet Red Pepper Ragù & Creamy Black Olive Polenta Topped with Garlic-Herb Pesto, paired with 2013 Whitehall Lane Winery & Vineyards Tre Leoni Cabernet Blend, Napa Valley

Dolci Assortiti--Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Candied Walnuts with Petite Chocolate Tart Topped with Chocolate Mousse, paired with 2009 Easton Wines Zinfandel Obscura "Late Harvest", Rinaldi Vineyard, Fiddletown, Amador

2016 03 31