It always happens this time of the year that I crave a nice bowl of soup. Tomato soup is one of my favorites and I usually like a grilled cheese sandwich with it, but this time I decided to make cheese straws.
Creamy Tomato Soup and Cheese Straws
Category Soup
It always happens this time of the year that I crave a nice bowl of soup. Tomato soup is one of my favorites and I usually like a grilled cheese sandwich with it, but this time I decided to make cheese straws.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 to 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced.
- 2 Tbsp flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
- 2 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, juices reserved
- 2 cups reduce-sodium canned chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil or ½ tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup light cream or milk (I used 1% milk)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Cheese Straws
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
- ¾ cup flour, plus more for dusting (I used white whole wheat)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 Tbsp half-and-half
Instructions
For the Soup
- In a large nonreactive saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, broth, tomato paste, basil, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low cover, and simmer stirring frequently, 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. In a food processor or blender, puree soup until smooth. Return to pan and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.
For the Cheese Straws
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
- On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both work), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each ¼- to 1/3-inch wide. Gently transfer the strips to an parchment lined baking sheet, leaving at least ¼ between the strips. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t worry.
- Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends barley browned. Remove from oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.
- Serve at room temperature. Cheese straws will keep in refrigerator in an airtight container for two to three days.
Recipe and Photo: Multiply Delicious / CC BY
