cooking: roasted tomato + charred sweet pepper soup

I look forward to tomato season every year because it’s the only time of year that I really eat tomatoes. My dream is to someday have my own garden where I can grow and harvest things like tomatoes, but for now, I’ll leave it to the pros at the farmers market.

Over the years, I’ve made several variations of tomato soup. I ate a ton of it in college (i.e. Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup from Trader Joes), but have since grown away from the store bought variety because homemade is SO much better (and usually healthier, too).

Tomatoes from this week’s farmers market haul (many used in this recipe)!

I made my first tomato soup of the season last week and while it was good, I immediately started noting a bunch of ways I wanted to modify it and that’s how this new recipe was born! This one is more robust in flavor and creamy without any cream. Additionally, if you omit the parmesan (a garnish), the soup is vegan!

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 6-10 tomatoes, depending on size (see recipe notes)

• 1 sweet onion quartered

• 8 cloves of garlic smashed (see recipe notes)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme (see recipe notes)

• 8 fresh sage leaves

• 3 sweet peppers (see recipe notes)

• 1/2 cup of basil

• 1/2 to 1 tsp of dried oregano

• kosher salt, to taste

• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

• basil oil (optional) (see recipe notes)

• garlic crostini (optional)

• parsley or basil for garnish (optional)

R E C I P E N O T E S

• I used two medium to large heirloom tomatoes + 8 small heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market. if possible, use garden or farm fresh tomatoes — they work best for this recipe, especially when they’re in season.

• I always use extra garlic! Feel free to scale back if garlic is not your jam.

• I roast the entire sprigs of thyme and then remove the sprigs (keeping the leaves) before blending. They come off easier when they’re all toasty, but you can also just use 2 tablespoons of leaves and not have to worry about the sprigs later.

• I used two red gyspy sweet peppers and one green italian sweet pepper. Any sweet pepper will do!

• I keep a jar of homemade basil oil in the fridge during the summer time. It goes on a lot of things (salads, soups, sandwiches, eggs, etc.). The recipe I use is from Jack Gilmore’s cookbook.

• I think the consistency of the soup is perfect as is. However, if it’s too thick for your liking, add vegetable broth to thin out the soup. Alternatively, if you want it even creamier, add a little bit of heavy cream in step 4.

Peppers and garlic from this week farmers market haul.

I blistered the gypsy and italian sweet peppers.

I N S T R U C T I O N S

1. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. In a large oven safe pot, I used a 5.5 QT Staub Cast Iron Round Cocotte, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, sage leaves, olive oil, red pepper flakes, a pinch each of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to char and release their juices. Let it cool (10-15 minutes).

2. While tomatoes are roasting, char your peppers. I charred mine over a gas stove until they were nice and blistered on each side. If you don’t have a gas stove, check out these alternatives.

3. Tent the peppers in foil and allow them to steam and cool a bit. Remove the stem and seeds.

4. Transfer the roasted tomato mix and their juices to a blender; puree until smooth. Next, add basil and charred peppers and blend again. Alternatively you can keep everything in your pot and use an immersion blender.

5. After blending, transfer back to the pot, turn to medium low heat, and add in oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Once the soup is warm and at your desired consistency (see recipe notes), ladle soup into your serving bowl and top with parmesan cheese, basil oil, garlic crostini, and chopped basil or parsley. Serve with a grilled cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

Produce & such featured in this post that are from local Washington Farmers and businesses:

• Tomatoes: One Leaf Farm and Lyall Farm

• Peppers, garlic, shallots: Alvarez Organic Farm

• Basil, sweet onion: Kirsop Farm

• Sage, thyme: Spring Rain Farm

• Shokupan (for grilled cheese): Ayako and Family

• Aged Cheddar: Beechers Handmade Cheese

Additional notes:

• All photos in the post were taken on my iPhone.

• Any Amazon.com links in this post are part of an affiliate advertising program.

cooking: pasta alle vongole

I love shellfish. Dungeness crab, clams, spot prawns, oysters — almost like I was destined for the PNW!

In recent years, I stopped cooking clams at home because I just couldn’t get them clean enough, sand bombs all over my broths and sauces. However, early on in COVID-19 quarantine, I saw a promotion for free (local) direct-to-home delivery from Hama Hama, a fifth-generation family-run shellfish farm on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Andy and I love indulging in Hama Hama oysters at Walrus and the Carpenter, so I thought we’d give their clams a try.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen that I think they are fantastic! In addition to being high-quality in taste, they are also nicely pre-cleaned. I give them a bit of a rinse when I get them and they are sand bomb free. That’s inspired me to cook with them at home more, including in this pasta alle vongole.

Hands down, the best Italian food I’ve had to date (keeping in mind that I have not been to Italy) is Pink Door in Seattle. The Linguine Alle Vongole is one of our favorites and is what inspired the recipe in this post. Also, the next thing I’m about to say has nothing to do with this post but I have to say it. The Pappardelle Al Ragu Bolognese at The Pink Door is OUT OF THIS WORLD. If you haven’t been, are thinking about going, or someday stumble on The Pink Door. Order it. No regrets.

I adapted this recipe from Samin Nosrat (Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat). Below are the ingredients I used, along with my modifications. Check out the full recipe from Splendid Table or in Samin’s cookbook.

I N G R E D I E N T S

• Salt (I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt)

• Extra-virgin olive oil (I like using Lucini or California Olive Ranch)

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced, root ends saved

• 3 parsley sprigs, plus 1/4 finely chopped leaves

• 4-5lbs of manila clams, scrubbed well

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 6-8 cloves of garlic

• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes

• 8oz of linguini (I like using De Cecco)

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 4 tbsp of unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan

M O D I F I C A T I O N S + T I P S

• I used all Manila clams because that’s what I had, but you can use a combo of Manila and Littleneck Clams, or just more of one.

• Since I only used one variety of clams, I treated them like the Littlenecks in her recipe. I skipped chopping them because they were already small and I reserved a few in the shells for plating.

• I used half the amount of pasta the original recipe called for.

• I like it a little more garlicky and added more than the original recipe called for.

• I used about half of a large lemon in the sauce, but taste and adjust to your preference. I served the additional lemon on the side. Andy likes the extra acidity.

• There’s no set amount for how much of the clam juice to use, I was more liberal because I like the briny taste.

• The pasta should be saucey. Serve with a side of crusty bread to soak that extra goodness!

• Buy a small block of parmesan and freshly grate it at home. It makes a difference, I promise!

• Invest in good olive oil to up your sauce game.

DISCLOSURE: Links in this post are part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

cooking in quarantine

Washington has been under a shelter-in-place order for 8 weeks (and counting), so I’ve been spending all of my time at home. It’s where I work, live, exercise, relax, have fun? It’s a meld of weird boundaries I’m still trying to understand. It makes me overwhelmingly anxious. In an effort to keep my mind preoccupied, I (like many) decided to try cooking a bunch of things I presumably didn’t have time for before. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve witnessed many of those ventures, but here are some if you haven’t. I included little anecdotes and some notes on modifications I made, original recipes are also linked below!

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Adapted recipe from: Gordon Ramsay
I modified this recipe.

Confession, I’ve made these eggs before. This is not a first-time quarantine cook, like a few other of the recipes you’ll find in the post.

Unlike things like layered cakes or bread, I’ve had a lot of time and practice to perfect breakfast making throughout the years. Breakfast food was one of my favorites growing-up, so I spent many years mastering the art of eggs.

I cook mine slightly more than Gordon does. His appear to be very creamy, almost runny, but I like my eggs to have just a tad more texture. So I cook them for just a bit longer. They’re still creamy and perfect for my personal taste.

Zosui (Japanese Rice Soup) 雑炊

Adapted recipe from: RecipeTin Japan
I modified this recipe.

I’ve made this several times before but this is such a good one that it resurfaced during quarantine. Andy and I enjoy supporting local chefs and checking out the ones who happen to Beat Bobby Flay. Which is how we stumbled upon Shota Nakajima, owner of Adana in Capitol Hill.

We had the Chef’s Tasting Menu during both of our visits and they both concluded with a dish similar to this. It reminds me of congee, though through my research I found that it’s actually considered more of a soup in Japan.

I like this recipe because it’s packed with umami. I made mine with homemade dashi. I used this recipe and often double or triple it. I usually add a bounty of mushrooms and cod and find that I need more broth than specified in the original recipe. Plus, you can use the extra dashi broth for a variety of things, like miso soup!

The original recipe also calls for carrots and shiitakes. I usually leave out the carrots and add a mix of rehydrated dried shiitakes and fresh ones. I also add cod (cut into 1” pieces), and a bounty of scallions. Perfection.

Biang Biang Noodles (油泼扯面)

Adapted recipe from: Souped Up Kitchen
I modified this recipe.

I love this dish. Andy and I order it whenever we come across it on a menu. We’ve had it at several places in Seattle, but my favorite has been at Xi’an Noodles in the University District.

I saw this recipe when I was endlessly scrolling through Instagram and was excited to finally try it. The recipe calls for bread flour, which is essential if you live in the U.S. You can hear why in the tutorial video accompanied in the original recipe link.

Luckily, I had leftover bread flour from that thing I made once that one time (ha). I made the noodle recipe exactly as written but I modified the sauce and toppings, including: using chili oil versus chili flakes, and adding scallions, spring onions, spring garlic, and cilantro.

A few tips!

1. I found it helpful to read the instructions and watch the tutorial video.

2. In the video, an oiled dish is used to rest the rolled dough. I found that oiling a small sheet pan allowed me the space I needed without having to stack them.

3. The noodles are cooked simultaneously while they’re being stretched in the video. I stretched all my noodles first. I let them rest in the same oiled sheet pan, covered in plastic until I was ready to cook them. I checked on them frequently to make sure they weren’t sticking.

Homemade Pasta

Recipe from: NYT Cooking + Samin Nosrat
I made the pasta dough recipe exactly as written.

Andy and I took a pasta making class at the The Pantry last year and the biggest revelation was that he is very good at kneading and rolling out dough. It wasn’t just beginner’s luck either. We took a pizza making class the following night and he was a star baker, ha.

Since that class, I have been itching to make my own pasta. I’m too cheap to buy the Kitchen Aid attachment that rolls the dough for you, so I bought the manual pasta roller and I actually really love it. You don’t have to have a pasta roller, but I’d highly recommend it.

It took almost a year to finally make the pasta. And while during quarantine wasn’t my first at-home attempt, I’ve definitely made it a couple times during. The shaped pasta freezes nicely for later use too.

NYT Cooking* has an extensive section on making homemade pasta that was done in partnership with Samin Nosrat. A complete walkthrough and tutorial on making pasta, including making the dough, forming shapes, creating fillings, etc. There are great videos references too. If you’re just looking for the basic pasta recipe, Samin also has it on her website.

*Once you’ve used up your NYT Cooking free trial, you can access ONE recipe (per device) a day without running into the paywall. So if you’ve already used up your free trial and don’t want to pay for a subscription, access this recipe the day you want to make it or keep open open on your browser until you plan to make it. If you close out of it and try to come back (the same day), you’ll run into the paywall. Alternatively, you can print it if the videos aren’t important to you.

Tapioca Pearls (Boba) with Brown Sugar Milk Tea

Adapted recipe from: EmmyMadeInJapan
I modified this recipe.

I came across this video on Facebook. Yes, I still use Facebook, I use every social media platform because it’s my job. And no, that job is not influencer. Ha.

I’m usually not a huge fan of video recipes that don’t follow any written instructions. While Emmy does provide measurements, I went through the whole process feeling pretty skeptical.

But alas, it turned out really well! The pearls had nice texture and flavor to them. In the video she uses milk and heavy cream, but I used a mix of oat milk and black tea instead. After watching other milk tea videos, I realized it would’ve likely yielded a better result to seep the tea in the milk. Either way, it was good.

This is a recipe I’d definitely categorize as a craft project. While it was fun to make it, I can’t say that I would choose making it at home versus getting it at my favorite boba tea cafe. You know, when quarantine is over. =)

Caramelized Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Adapted recipe from: NYT Cooking
I modified this recipe.

This recipe is a winner. I love that it comes together with just a few ingredients and is oh-so-delicious. Browned butter is all the hype, but it gives the treats a slight caramelized nutty flavor that I am here for!

I halved the original recipe, because I didn’t need 60 rice krispies treats in my two-person household. I also used mini marshmallows instead of the regular ones, because that’s all that was left at the store. I used salted butter as listed in the recipe and didn’t find it to be too salty, but if you’re concerned, you can use unsalted butter and add salt at your discretion.

Fresh Herb Risotto

Adapted recipe from: Ashley Rodriguez
Cookbook: Date Night In
I modified this recipe.

I got really into making risotto when I found the Mushroom Risotto with Peas from NYT Cooking. I’ve made it with a variety of different mushrooms that I find at the local farmers market, but maitake and chanterelle are my favorites for that risotto.

I didn’t think I’d find another risotto recipe I’d like more until I found this one! Ashley’s cookbooks have some of my favorite recipes. Risotto can be a heavy dish, but the bright fresh herbs here make it feel lighter. I had an abundance of amazing herbs from the farmers market that I used, and I modified the recipe slightly by including fresh spring asparagus. I poached the asparagus here, but I think I’d grill them next time.

workshop: winter food styling

food photography and food stying have always been an interest of mine, but it’s also felt a bit daunting. i love cooking and taking photos, but wasn’t sure how to really tackle the two together. this weekend’s food styling workshop allowed me the chance to really dive in and learn from pros renée beaudoin and ashley rodriquez, and alongside other foodies, bloggers, photographers, and chefs.

when i first came across the course, it was completely sold out. luckily, a spot opened up just last week and I’m grateful it did, because it was absolutely amazing! the workshop took place over two days, four hours each day. i loved the entire process, even the most challenging moments. it pushed me to try new things and step out of my comfort zone.

below are some of my favorite photos from the weekend. we took all the photos at delancey, a restaurant right behind the pantry, which serves up the most amazing pizza by night and the dreamiest lighting for photographers by day.

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spring pea vine salad

charcuterie snack boards

citrus tart

chemex coffee & rhubarb filled donuts

olive butter & radish toast + nettle soup

rugbraud (rye bread)