Category: Test Kitchen

homemade gnocchi
Main Dishes, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Gnocchi

Gnocchi Triumph in the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen 🍽️👨‍🍳 When the culinary mastermind, Executive Chef Blondie, fell ill, Sous Chef Fuzzy stepped up to the challenge with Chef Blondie’s expert guidance. Together, they transformed a potential kitchen disaster into a gnocchi masterpiece!

Hi! Chef Blondie here. Well, I’ve been under the weather for quite some time. The medics can’t tell me what I have, but it’s really slowed me down. So instead of testing this recipe for fresh gnocchi myself, I had to instruct my Sous Chef, Fuzzy, how to do the test. Although, we’ve never done this before, Fuzzy, with my expert guidance, met the challenge and achieved a great success.

how to make gnocchi

In this little Test Kitchen adventure, poor old Fuzzy had to prepare potatoes by ricing them. Sure, he could have mashed them, but the SFH-TK just got a new potato ricer and we had to try it out. In our video, you’ll get to see Sous Chef Fuzzy step up to the challenge. It was a little tough going at first, but eventually he figured out how to use it properly. – Just another day in our beloved farmhouse kitchen

Why make homemade gnocchi?

Hey, I have a question for you. Why would you want to make your own homemade gnocchi? Or, why would it be preferable to store-bought gnocchi?

  • Freshness: Well, first of all, it’s the freshness. Homemade gnocchi is far fresher than any store-bought. That’s because the store-bought has been on the shelf for who knows how long.
  • Texture: Store-bought gnocchi always tastes kind of rubbery to me. It’s the texture. The fresh gnocchi has such a delicate and pleasant texture.
  • Flavor: Homemade gnocchi can have a richer, more enhanced flavor.
  • Healthier: Homemade gnocchi is healthier for you because you can eliminate any of the preservatives or anything that’s in it. You have control over salt and everything else.
  • Customizable: You can customize homemade gnocchi. You can adjust the recipe to fit your dietary needs or preferences.

Talking Taters

I’m going to tell you one more thing here. If you look at these two little salt and pepper shakers, my daughter-in-law bought these for me when they were on their honeymoon many years ago in Prince Edward Island. I thought, why not use these today. Anyway, my friends, we’re going to get started with making this gnocchi. And happy cooking!

Ingredients for Homemade Gnocchi

Sous Chef Fuzzy here. Here’s a few words about the ingredients. We used three medium russet potatoes. We were shooting for 2 lbs, and as it turned out, the three spuds came in at almost exactly 2 lbs. You’re going to use 1 to 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, depending on how well the ingredients are mixing together. One large egg is used and then you can use one teaspoon of kosher salt. Instead of kosher salt, we used Redmond Real Salt. – Now back to Chef Blondie

Video Step-by-Step Instructions

Watch me and Sous Chef Fuzzy navigate this delicious culinary journey, turning fresh ingredients into perfectly fluffy, mouthwatering gnocchi. Don’t miss out on the secret tips and techniques that made this dish a success!

Resources

There are many dishes that we’ve made that rely on gnocchi to add that special touch. For example our post And the morel of this story is … showed how gnocchi was the perfect ingredient to compliment the delicate flavor of morel mushrooms. If you want to see another approach to making gnocchi, check out this recipe: Gnocchi

We've used store-bought to make many different recipes. For example, our post And the morel of this story is ... shows how gnocchi was the perfect ingredient to go along with some morel mushrooms we received as a surprise gift. We here at the Serendipity Farmhouse Kitchen decided that is time that we learned how to make our own gnocchi from scratch. So,we reviewed several recipes, found the common ingredients and preparation techniques, and developed this generic recipe for testing.
thermal cooker
RV Living, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

Exciting Christmas Gift: Tayama Thermal Cooker Unboxed

Hi everyone, Old Fuzz Face here! This Christmas, I received the perfect gift from my beautiful Miss Blondie—a Tayama thermal cooker. As a practical man, I couldn’t wait to unbox it and share it with you.

In our video, I unboxed my new Tayama TXM-70CFZ thermal cooker. That video and this post will answer most of your questions about the thermal cooker and its uses. Later this week, Chef Blondie and I plan on preparing a test meal with it. So, make sure you come back to see how Chef Blondie and the SFH Test Kitchen staff evaluate this thermal cooker’s performance.

Remember to subscribe to the Serendipity Farmhouse blog and to our YouTube channel.

Thermal Cooker Unboxing

Let’s dive into the unboxing! I won’t describe every single detail, but I’ll give you an overview of what I found inside. Opening the box felt like Christmas morning all over again. – As usual, my cat, Mr. Monte, was there, ready to steal any stray pieces of styrofoam or plastic wrapping. Here are the main items I found inside.

The first item I found was the Insulated Carry Pot. This is the unique component of a thermal cooker. It provides the insulation needed to ensure continuous cooking over an extended period of time.

The primary component of this thermal cooker is the Large Inner Cooking pot. It is similar to the inner cooking vessel on an Instant Pot. But, unlike that pot, you can use it on a stovetop for bringing food items to a boil or to to brown meats and saute vegetables.

thermal cooker
thermal cooker

The Small Inner Cooking Pot serves two purposes. You can use it to prepare a second course to accompany the food cooked in the large inner cooking pot. It can also be filled with boiling water to increase the amount of heated mass in the insulated carry pot. This ensures that the inner temperature is maintained over an extended period.

Product Overview

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Tayama Thermal Cooker. This model has a 7-quart capacity. It’s stainless steel construction ensures it can withstand regular use. One standout feature is the energy-saving design.

Unlike traditional cooking methods, this cooker uses heat retention to cook food without continuous energy, similar to a slow cooker but more energy efficient. This design is ideal for use in an RV and perfect for families, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Originating in medieval Europe with the concept of a “haybox,” modern thermal cookers have evolved, using advanced technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness. With rising energy costs, this thermal cooker is a fantastic way to save on your gas or electric bill.

Stay tuned for our next video, where we’ll test this cooker with a simple beef stew recipe. As always, our reviews are completely unbiased as we have no sponsors or affiliates.

frozen tomatoes
Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Salsa with Frozen Tomatoes

What do you do when you have no homemade salsa, but you do have a freezer full of frozen tomatoes? Well of course, you do some Christmas canning and make up a batch of Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa.

Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Emergency

Hello, my friends. Chef Blondie here. First of all, I want to wish all of you a very, very Merry Christmas. And then I want to tell you we have an emergency here at Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. I went into the pantry to find some salsa to go with my chips. Well, guess what? There was no salsa to be had!

And if I didn’t have any homemade salsa, my grandkids would not be happy because they love their tacos my salsa on it. So, when we go over to have lunch with them it’s, “Granny, did you bring any homemade salsa?”

So, here we are today. My sous chef and I, we’re going to be making salsa. I looked in my freezer and I said, hey, we’ve got some of these frozen tomatoes from season 2023. We’re going to use those. So come along with us on this journey as we make salsa. Happy cooking!

Why we used frozen tomatoes in our salsa

frozen tomatoes

The idea of using frozen tomatoes for salsa is nothing new. I’m sure other people do it. I’m sure I can find videos on it. But we haven’t ever tried it. So, we thought the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen should give it a try.

The whole idea started back in September of 2023. The reason was, we had such an overpowering abundance of tomatoes. We had grown eight or ten varieties of tomatoes. We had so many tomatoes and we just didn’t know what to do with them.

So, we froze them. What we did was we flash froze them, then we use the Food Saver and vacuum sealed them and weighed the individual packages. We thought that someday we would figure out a way to use them.

When planning for this SFH-TK test, we determined that we needed about six pounds of tomatoes to make at least five pints of salsa. Then we selected the bags of frozen tomatoes that would give us the six pounds we needed.

The SFH TK Quest for Better Salsa

Another crucial factor in this test was to continue our efforts to improve our own salsa mix. Our current version of SFH Salsa Mix, was derived from a copycat recipe, but we’ve adapted it to make it uniquely our own. For various reasons we decided not to use dried garlic. Instead we use either our own fresh or fermented garlic.

To the extent possible, we use our own homegrown hot peppers and herbs. This year, we dehydrated our own bell peppers and our next batch of salsa mix will include them.

Now that you know the backstory on why we used frozen tomatoes in our SFH-TK Salsa, watch the video and learn how we overcame challenges with preparing the key ingredient, and how we managed to come up with the best winter salsa ever.

Azorean bean soup
Main Dishes, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Azorean Bean Soup: A Comfort Food Recipe

Today, we’ll be exploring the rich culinary history of the Azores, focusing on a traditional and frugal dish—Azorean Bean Soup with Linguiça.

Azorean bean soup

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. Welcome to the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen!

In the late-1800s and early 1900s, life on São Miguel was simple and community-oriented. Meals were often prepared with whatever was locally available, making use of seasonal ingredients and foods like linguiça sausage.

Our video will show you how to use linguiça in a traditional bean soup that tastes great and is warm and satisfying. – A perfect meal for this time of year.

By the way, don’t be worried if you don’t have any linguiça. A number of grocery chains such as Harris Teeter sell various brands of authentic linguiça sausage. And if you are really daring, try making your own linguiça using my recipe here.

Sous Chef Lessons Learned

Mr. Monte claims that I’m not the sharpest claw on the paw. I’m not saying our video proves him right. I will say that I learned three important lessons while making this about how to make Azorean Bean Soup. Watch the video to see what those three lessons were.

A Recipe on a Journey from the Azores

In 1903, my dad’s parents emigrated from São Miguel to Massachusetts. They didn’t bring much with them, and they had to start here from scratch. But my grandmother did bring one very important thing with her, that was her skill at cooking traditional Azorean dishes.

My grandfather died young, and I never got to meet my grandmother. My dad became the head of the household in the late 1920’s. I learned through my cousin Emma what types of meals my grandmother made for my dad and the family. This bean soup we’re preparing today is an example of what my grandmother would make back in those days. We think you’ll enjoy this bean soup because of its great flavor and ease of preparation.

French onion soup
Jacques Pepin, Recipe, Soups & Salads, Test Kitchen

Unlock the Secrets of Jacques’s Onion Soup Mystery Recipe

On YouTube you can find an enormous number of videos showing how to make French onion soup gratinee. For example, Jacques Pépin has at least three different videos. But have you ever seen one video on French onion soup Lyonnaise-style?

French onion soup

Hello my friends, Chef Blondie here. – French Onion Soup Lyonnaise-style is a Jacques Pépin mystery recipe that makes a great French onion soup even better.

How did Jacques do it? What were his mystery ingredients?

Well, if you want to learn the answer, watch as my trusty sous chef and I show you what Jacques did.

Happy cooking!

What makes this onion soup recipe better than the rest?

Of course, Jacques has many variations of the typical French onion soup gratinee. But in this recipe, which comes from the Lyon region of France, the soup is much thicker than the usual kind.

In his cookbook Essential Pepin, Jacques recounts his personal recollection.

It’s often served as a late-night dish. When I was a young man, I often made it with my friends at 2 or 3 A.M. after returning home from a night of dancing. … It looks thick and messy, but it is delicious.

The Two Mystery Ingredients

What sets this recipe apart from all the others is what comes at the very end. It is an added touch that you can perform in the presence of your dinner guests. This simple addition adds warmth to a cold evening and brings people together.

When you take the basic onion soup out of the oven, it will still be bubbling. That is when you add two egg yolks to 1/2 cup of sweet Port wine and mix well. Then you make a hole in the crusty top of the hot onion soup and pour the egg and wine mixture into the opening. As you fold the mixture in, the soup becomes rich and creamy and develops a wonderful aroma.

While your friends huddle around watching, you instantly transform your once typical onion soup into a warm and romantic dish to be shared and savoured.

Key Differences in Jacques’s Onion Soup Lyonnaise-Style

Texture: The Gratinee has a thinner, more broth-like consistency. The Lyonnaise-Style is thicker and creamier due to the addition of egg yolks.

Preparation: The Gratinee is typically served in individual bowls with a crusty cheese topping. The Lyonnaise-Style is baked in a large tureen and served from the center.

Flavor Enhancements: The Lyonnaise-Style includes port wine. This adds a sweet, fruity depth to the soup, and egg yolks, which give it a richer, creamier texture.

The Role of Egg Yolks and Port Wine

Egg Yolks: They thicken the soup and add a velvety, luxurious texture. When mixed with the hot soup, they create a creamy consistency that elevates the overall mouthfeel.

Port Wine: This adds a sweet, complex flavor that adds wonderful undertones to the savory onions and cheese. It also gives the soup a unique depth and richness that is not present in the Gratinee.

What are the two mystery ingredients in Jacques Pépin's recipe for French Onion Soup Lyonnaise style? Chef Blondie will show you what they are and why they make a difference. Adapted from the cookbook Essential Pépin
rye bread
Breads, Recipe, Test Kitchen

How to make Good Rye Bread even Better

We did two things to make a good rye bread even better. First, we enhanced the flavor by using our own home-milled rye berries. Then, we found a way to add the wonderful character and aroma of caraway seeds without suffering the problems often associated with seeded breads.

Hello, my friends.

My hubby and I have been working in the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. Our most recent project has been to perfect a bread machine recipe using home-milled rye.

In our YouTube video, we show you how we’ve adapted a recipe for Scandinavian Light Rye Bread from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. We’re sure you’re going to love it.

A Few Wry Comments on Rye and Rye Bread

Rye is classified as an ancient grain, belonging to the wheat family, and it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Compared to wheat, rye contains fewer carbohydrates and is richer in vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious choice. This is a time-proven grain that remains ever so versatile in modern baking.

Perhaps those comments weren’t so wry, but they did let you know that rye, especially when freshly milled, will help you to make a good rye bread even better. So, watch our YouTube video to see how we did it. Also, if you like the looks of that pimento cheese, check our post Pimento Cheese IHO Mom and try out our recipe.

Resources

It’s been nearly 25 years since Beth Hensperger authored The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook. The updated edition comes out this month. Check out the following link for details on The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook, Newly Updated and Expanded: A Master Baker’s 300-Plus Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread–From Every Kind of Machine Paperback – October 22, 2024 by Beth Hensperger (Author)

In case you were wondering about what bread machine we used to make our rye bread, check out the following link. Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine, Compact and Automatic, Customizable Settings, Up to 2 lb Loaves, CBK-110P1, Silver,Black

See some of our other posts about bread making: Sourdough Bread for a Practical Man, Sourdough Starter for a Practical Man, and Sourdough Troubleshooting for a Practical Man.

Farmhouse Living, Preserved Foods, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

What are the 6 important preserving skills?

After harvesting and processing, the next step in a successful winter food prep is making use of preserving skills. This is key in ensuring that favorite summer foods will be there during the coming months. So, let’s talk a little about the preserving methods we used here at Serendipity Farmhouse during the week of September 15th.

Farmhouse Food Skills Category 3 – Preserving

preserving skills

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. In the first two posts of this winter food prep series, we talked about where we get our winter food and the farmhouse food skills we use to process it. But that’s just the beginning of our winter food prep. There’s another set of food skills we’ve learned that helps us preserve the food we’ve processed.

Food Preserving Skills

Q – Okay, now that we’ve processed our raw ingredients, what do we do to preserve different types of farmhouse food products?

A – We employ a variety of techniques to extend the shelf life of food, such as canning, dehydrating, fermenting, freezing, and vacuum sealing herbs and other food products. In the future, we hope to explore smoking and other traditional techniques.

You can find any number of lists describing skills needed for preserving food. The lists pretty much agree on primary techniques, but it’s hard to find a single standard list. In our list of six preserving techniques, we show the ones that are important for us here at SFH. For other folks, the list will be different.

6 Important Preserving Skills

TechniqueDescription
CanningPreserves fruits, vegetables, and meats by sealing them in jars and heating to kill bacteria. This technique is vital for ensuring long-term storage without refrigeration while retaining nutritional value and flavor.
DehydratingRemoves moisture to prevent spoilage. This is essential for preserving herbs, fruits, and vegetables, making them lightweight, compact, and easy to store, with a long shelf life.
FermentingUtilizes natural bacteria to convert sugars into acids or alcohol, preserving food while enhancing its nutritional value and flavor. Perfect for making pickles, sauerkraut, and other fermented goodies.
FreezingSlows down enzyme activity and bacterial growth. Freezing is indispensable for maintaining the quality and nutrition of fruits, vegetables, and meats, making them last well beyond their natural season.
Root CellaringUses the earth’s natural coolness for storage. This energy-efficient method is perfect for keeping root vegetables, apples, and other hardy produce fresh over winter. (We don’t have a root cellar or basement, so we have to use the coolest places we can find in our old farmhouse.)
Vacuum SealingRemoves air from packaging or containers to extend the shelf life of foods. This method is critical for preventing freezer burn and oxidation, keeping frozen and dried foods fresh for a longer period.

Farmhouse Preserving Skills

Here are some preserving skills we used during the week of September 15th.

Canning – Spicy Dilly Beans

preserving skills

We’ve been canning spicy dilly beans for three years now. It’s a great way to preserve those garden-fresh beans and to kick them up a notch. Sure, they can be used as a side for dinner. But with these spicy dilly beans you can also serve them as an appetizer or as a snack at lunchtime. It’s really worth the effort to can beans this way because it ensures that we will have a crunchy, tangy snack or side dish all year-round.

See our post Spicy Dilly Beans @ Serendipity Farmhouse for the recipe.

Dehydrating – Sage

Sage is an essential herb for adding flavor to dishes. Dehydrating this herb takes little time and it’s about as easy as it gets. Now that we’ve started dehydrating products from our own gardens, we can be sure that we always have a supply of aromatic, home-grown herbs to season the foods cooked in the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Test Kitchen.

For some background on our work with herbs, see SFH-TK SKills – Herbs.

Dehydrating – Tomatoes

preserving skills

This is our first year dehydrating tomatoes. We’re compiling a list of ways that we can use them in various recipes. They reconstitute easily and they’re going to be found on top of our pizzas and in clam chowder and other dishes. Looking further into the future, we expect to turn some of our dried tomatoes in tomato powder for making tomato paste, tomato sauce, and other basic tomato products.

As we see it, dehydrating tomatoes is a way to preserve summer’s sweetness for those colder months. It’s a great way get the most from our summer garden.

Fermenting – Cucumbers

Fermenting cucumbers, or making pickles, is an excellent way to add tangy, probiotic-rich foods to our diet. During the summer we get a large number of cucumbers from our CSA. In fact, we get more than we can use during a normal week. Fermenting those excess cucumbers means we can preserve them for several months and use our own homegrown dill and garlic to add flavor. So, we end up with a healthy, flavorful treat that’s perfect for snack platters and sandwiches.

Fermenting – Garlic

preserving skills

In mid-September our homegrown garlic meets a critical point in its lifecycle. Without a proper cold storage room, this is when our garlic starts to go down hill. We’ve found a few good ways to preserve garlic from two to six months beyond this point. One way we used to preserve the garlic was in red wine. Now, we prefer to ferment our garlic. That’s because, not only does it last longer, in the fermenting process it gains the healthy benefit of becoming a probiotic.

Fermenting garlic enhances the flavor and gives it a little more kick. Now our garlic is long lasting, has great flavor, and it’s healthy. Who could ask for more?

To learn why preserving garlic is important to us, the our posts 7 Reasons Why We Want to be Garlic Self-Reliant and Garlic & Hackers.

Freezing – Okra

We dehydrate, pickle, and freeze our okra. But, we never ever ferment it. The one time we tried that, we regretted it deeply. So for now, freezing is our go-to method for preserving okra. It’s a simple, effective way to preserve this nutritious vegetable. Freezing okra ensures that we have a supply of this versatile veggie for soups, stews, and gumbos all winter long. Of course, frying is our favorite way to use okra.

For a tip on how not to preserve okra, see our post Report to St. Isidore – 2022.

Freezing – Crookneck Squash

preserving skills

Once you learn a preserving technique, you can apply it to a host of other food products. Freezing some veggies like okra is very simple and straightforward. Other vegetables, however, require an added step of blanching to lock in color and flavor. Crookneck squash requires that little bit of extra preparation. After that, it’s just like freezing okra and tomatoes.

You’ll really want to try this. That’s because everybody knows that by mid-summer they’ve seen too much summer squash and zucchini. Freeze it now, and enjoy it in February.

Farmhouse Food Skills Series

We hope that you’re enjoying this series of post and videos about farmhouse food skills.

For great ideas and ways to build your food preserving skills visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

veggie haul
Farmhouse Living, Miss Blondie, Rappahannock Neighbors, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

Fantastic Produce Cornucopia for a Practical Woman

Joining a CSA can be a great deal! Hubby and I have made a video of my weekly veggie haul that shows you why.

veggie haul

Hi! Chef Blondie here.

Last year, in our post Can Joining a CSA be a Good Deal?, we showed you the many benefits of joining a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture).

We are now four weeks into this year’s CSA season. We thought you might be interested in joining me as I head over to Waterpenny Farm to do my weekly veggie haul.

So, read this post for some background info. Then watch the video to see what one might find on a weekly veggie haul.

By the way, you might notice that I’m wearing shades in the video. Well, that’s because I’m still recovering from recent eye surgery and bright light causes me discomfort. I’m expecting things will be much better in a week or two. Many thanks to those who prayed for me over the last several weeks.

What’s a CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a production and marketing model whereby consumers buy shares of a farm’s harvest in advance. In exchange for this, farmers commit to supplying sufficient quantity, quality, and variety of products. The consumers and farmers share the risks and benefits of food production.

If you’re interested in a how a CSA works, check out Waterpenny’s website here. Eric Plaksin and Rachel Bynum give a great rundown of how their CSA came to be and they highlight their service to the community. They also talk about pricing for shares and half shares, describing what products are available over the course of a season. – There’s a lot more to running a CSA than you might think, and Eric and Rachel provide many valuable insights.

SFH and Waterpenny – An Interesting Relationship

In a sense, CSA members support the CSA farm as if it were their own. That means, through the lean years as well as through the good years. And that’s been our relationship with Waterpenny Farm for the past 8-9 years. There are times when our half share overwhelms us. So, we have to give away excess produce to our children and friends. There are other times when we wish the weather had been kinder to our CSA.

But here’s the secret to what makes the Serendipity Farmhouse – Waterpenny Farm relationship so worthwhile to us.

If you’ve read our posts, you know we grow our own herbs, and vegetables. We can or preserve most of what we grow.

We know we can’t grow everything we want or need. So, we stick to our favorites – tomatoes, okra, garlic, green beans, and hot peppers.

love your garden

Although our garden production overlaps with what Waterpenny provides us, Waterpenny grows a host of other products that are not within our capability to grow. – And when we’re one pound short of tomatoes for canning, Waterpenny always comes through.

The bottom line is, come canning season, we have everything we need. There are no trips to Walmart for veggies during the summer. – In essence, Waterpenny becomes a virtual extension of the vast 1.203-acre Serendipity Farmhouse Estate.

What does a half share veggie haul look like?

I think you’ve got the picture now. By working with products from our CSA, we’ve managed to solve a large part of our original food procurement problem. In answer to the question “Can joining a CSA be a Good Deal?” The answer for us is ‘yes.’ As an illustration of that, here are pictures showing some veggie hauls from last year and last Thursday.

veggie haul
Typical Veggie Hauls

If there’s a downside to all this feast of plenty, it’s difficult to find. But when this much fresh food comes into our kitchen every Thursday, we have to plan meals to ensure nothing is wasted. It’s amazing how many innovative recipes we’ve developed to make the best use of this great bounty.

My weekly CSA veggie haul.
Jacques's tomato soup
Jacques Pepin, Preserving, Recipe, Soups & Salads, Test Kitchen

How to use your frozen tomatoes

You stored away your bumper crop and now you’re wondering how to use your frozen tomatoes. You’re also wondering what to serve on a chilly day. This is where Chef Blondie and the amazing Jacques Pépin come to your rescue. Tonight the menu will include Jacques’s Velvet Tomato Soup made from your very own frozen tomatoes.

So, read the general instructions below. They will enable you to make any type of tomato soup you like. They will also help you to use frozen tomatoes in any number of other dishes from chili to stew.

The YouTube video and the attached, printable recipe will show you how to make Jacques’s fantastic Velvet Tomato soup à la Jacques Pépin.

Jacques's tomato soup

And remember: Happy Cooking!!!!

How to use Frozen Tomatoes for Tomato Soup

Frozen tomatoes can be an excellent ingredient for making delicious and flavorful tomato soup. Here’s how you can incorporate them into your soup recipes.

Jacques's tomato soup

Thawing and Preparation

The first step is to thaw the frozen tomatoes. You can do this by placing them in the refrigerator overnight or running them under warm water for a few minutes until they soften.

Once thawed, the skins should easily slip off. If not, you can make a small slit in the skin and peel it off.

Adding to the Soup

After peeling and removing any blemishes or cores, you can add the thawed tomatoes directly to your soup pot. Chop or crush them if you prefer a smoother texture. Some recipes recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar or a splash of balsamic vinegar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

Cooking and Seasoning

When making tomato soup with frozen tomatoes, it’s essential to simmer the soup for a longer time, around 30-40 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld and the tomatoes to break down. This extended cooking time also helps to evaporate any excess liquid released by the thawed tomatoes, resulting in a thicker, more concentrated soup.

You can enhance the flavor of your soup by sautéing aromatics like onions, garlic, and herbs before adding the tomatoes and broth. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and your preferred herbs and spices.

Blending and Finishing Touches

Jacques's tomato soup

For a smooth, velvety texture, you can use an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée the soup once it has finished cooking. If using a regular blender, be cautious of hot liquids and work in batches.

Finally, you can add a splash of cream, a dollop of pesto, or garnish with croutons or grated cheese for a delightful finishing touch.

Jacques's tomato soup

By following these simple steps, you can create a rich, flavorful tomato soup using frozen tomatoes, ensuring that none of their freshness goes to waste. And that’s how to use your frozen tomatoes.

Resources

Jacques's tomato soup

The recipe used here was adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Velvet Tomato recipe on p. 54 of Jacques Pepin Heart and Soul in the Kitchen. Over his lengthy career, Jacques has used several variations of this recipe.

Other sources used in preparing this post and recipe:

You're wondering how to use your frozen tomatoes. You're also wondering what to serve on a chilly day. This is where Chef Blondie and the amazing Jacques Pepin come to your rescue. Tonight the menu will include Jacques's Velvet Tomato Soup made from your very own frozen tomatoes. We use a combination of ripe frozen tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and concentrated tomato paste. Of course, fresh ripe tomatoes work just fine.
quick and easy winter soup
Recipe, Soups & Salads, Test Kitchen

Quick and Easy Winter Soup – Jacques’s way

It’s really been cold here at Serendipity Farmhouse and I need a quick and easy winter soup to keep me warm. So I wondered to myself, “What would Jacques Pépin do?” – Well, in his cookbook More Fast Food My Way, he says,

“Soups are foremost dishes in my life, especially in winter.”

quick and easy winter soup

Hi, Chef Blondie here!

Immediately after Jacques declares his fondness for winter soups, he goes on to introduce one of his favorites – an amazingly simple and satisfying Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup.

It’s truly a great dish. And we in the SFH Test Kitchen are going to share it with you today.

Quick and Easy Winter Soup – Preparation Tip

Jacques says that leeks are essential as a basic ingredient for many of his simple soups. He always keeps some on hand. He also reminisces about how his mother and his aunt often made several variations of leek and potato soup, adding mushrooms or other ingredients.

As a “girl raised in the South” I wasn’t very familiar with leeks. It was fascinating for me to learn how Jacques cleans and prepares this tasty member of the onion family. After watching Jacques prepare leeks in several videos, I learned quite a bit about his technique. For example, he uses a paring knife to trim the leek, but he switches to a chef’s knife to do the slicing. – So here’s a step-by-step view of how to prepare leeks for this soup.

Step 1 – Trim the Leek

Slice off the very bottom portion of the leek. Then trim off and discard most of the green outside leaves from the leeks. Reserve the light green leaves from the center.

Slice off the bottom portion of the leek.
Trim off and discard most of the green outside leaves.
Trim dark green portion of leaves.

Step 2 – Cut the Leek into Quarters

quick and easy winter soup

Cut the leeks lengthwise into quarters. If it is a large leek, you can slice it lengthwise one or two more times. Take care in holding the end of the leek firmly so that it doesn’t slip while slicing.

Step 3 – Wash the Leeks

Leeks can be very dirty. There is often a great deal of grit between the leaves. That’s why it’s necessary to wash the leaves thoroughly under cool water to remove any dirt or sand.

quick and easy winter soup

Step 4 – Slice the Leeks

After washing, slice the leaves thinly with a chef’s knife. Cut the butt end of the leek into halves and slice. One large leek or two smaller leeks will give you about 2 cups when sliced.

quick and easy winter soup
Slice the leaves thinly with a chef’s knife.
quick and easy winter soup
Cut the butt end of the leek into halves.
quick and easy winter soup
Slice the butt end of the leek.
quick and easy winter soup
1 large leek or 2 smaller leeks will give you about 2 cups.

Cook a Quick and Easy Winter Soup – Jacques’s Way

Now that we’ve learned Jacques’s technique for preparing leeks for a quick and easy winter soup, here’s his recipe as adapted and tested by the SFH Test Kitchen. The original recipe appears on page 36 of the cookbook Jacques Pépin More Fast Food My Way.

Happy Cooking!!

It’s really been cold and you need a quick and easy winter soup to keep you warm. Jacques Pépin says make Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup. It goes together in just minutes, and it's hearty and healthy.