Date Night Dinners - Kitchen Gadgets

3/06/2015 tringel 0 Comments

I have slowly been filling my apartment with all the things an apartment needs: a sofa, a coffee table, and, six months later, a kitchen table. Thank you cousin Rachel, now I just have to put it together. But my biggest priority has been filling up my kitchen with all of the gadgets that have been on my wish list for far too long. I might have to start apartment searching again to find a kitchen to fit all my new supplies, just kidding. But in all seriousness I am thrilled to see my kitchen growing and my recipe experimentation expanding. Most recently, two cast iron skillets and an immersion blender have found their way into my collection, and I have dying to take them out of their boxes and give them a try. Good thing date night dinner was right around the corner and Brenden was just as excited as me.


We went with a tomato soup since that was one of the worst of our soup fails. Our original try never even posed a chance of getting posted here. I mean, I like tomatoes as much as the next person, but pure blended tomatoes just isn't for me. We were determined to redeem ourselves. The tomato soup we tried this time turned out one hundred times better. The fresh basil and garlic and onions added an extra layer depth to the soup. And roasting the tomatoes beforehand - pure genius - it truly enhanced the flavor profile.


Another bonus of choosing tomato soup is that with tomato soup comes grilled cheese. It is almost crazy not to have the two together. Almost. I did not want to make something so simple, after all, grilled cheese can really be made in any skillet. I wanted to get full utilization out of my new, home seasoned cast iron skillet. And when I found a recipe for one hour focaccia bread using cast iron, I knew it would be the prefect substitute for the grilled cheese. Still warm and carb filled. Still seasoned with cheese. Still perfectly dunk-able.

Brenden and I are still new to making breads, so we were a bit worried. And while our focaccia didn't rise as much as the warm thick loaves I see in professional bakeries, it turned out quiet deliciously. It had a garlic, cheese and herb infused crust with a light flakey inside. It tasted like true focaccia should, and it was the perfect accompaniment to our tomato soup.

Tomato Soup
Recipe adapted from stephsbitebybite.com, Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle 1.5 Tbsp of olive oil over top the tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the tomatoes for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are squishy and beginning to burst with a brown roared color to them.
5. In a large pot, pour the remaining 1.5 Tbsp oil into the bottom and heat over medium-high heat.
6. Add in the garlic and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
7. Add in the roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, canned tomatoes (with the juices_. garlic salt, black pepper, and basil.
8. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer.
9. Partially cover the soup and simmer for 20 minutes.
10. With an immersion blender, blend up the soup until everything is well combined and smooth (or to your desired constancy).
11. Serve soup in bowls and garnish with more fresh basil and shredded parmesan cheese if desired.
12. Enjoy.

Focaccia Bread
Recipe adapted from crunchycreamysweet.com, One Hour Skillet Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients

• dough
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp quick acting dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• parmesan butter
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasonings (ie. oregano, basil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, turn it off but keep the door shut.
2. Grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray.
3. Place water and sugar in a the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
4. Stir until sugar dissolves.
5. Sprinkle yeast over the water and stir a few times.
6. Let the mixture sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
7. Turn the mixer on low speed and add 1 cup of flour and the salt.
8. Mix until well combined.
9. Add oil and mix well.
10. Gradually add the remaining cup of flour as you mix, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
11. Place the dough onto a floured surface and fold/knead the dough a few times until it feels smooth and not sticky anymore.
12. Shape the dough into a ball and then roll it out to the size of your skillet.
13. Place the dough in your prepared cast iron skillet and stretch the sides up.
14. Cover the cast iron skillet with a kitchen towel and place it in the oven for 20 minutes.
15. While the dough is doing it's first bake, prepare the butter by mixing all of the ingredients (melted butter, parmesan, Italian seasonings) in a small bowl.
16. After 20 minutes, take the skillet out and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
17. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers.
18. Brush half of the butter mixture over the dough.
19. Place the cast iron skillet with buttered dough into the preheated oven, uncovered, and back for 20 minuted, or until golden brown.
20. Brush the bread with the remaining butter mixture.
21. Remove the bread from the cast iron skillet.
22. Slice, serve and enjoy!