Special Equipment: Immersion Blender or Blender
Ingredients:
1 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
4 Stalks Celery, Diced
1 Small Carrot, Diced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Cloves Garlic, Diced
32oz Chicken or Veggie Broth
28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
½ Teaspoon Paprika
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Basil
3 Tablespoons Jasmine Rice, uncooked
1oz Vodka
1 Teaspoon Sugar, if Needed
½ Cup Heavy Cream
1. Saute Onion, Carrot, Celery, and Salt in olive oil for 5 minutes on medium heat, until onions turns translucent
2. Add Garlic, saute until fragrant
3. Add Broth and Tomatoes, bring to simmer
4. Add Paprika, Cayenne, Black pepper, Basil
5. Add Rice and Vodka, bring to simmer
6. Simmer on low for 35-45 minutes- until Rice is soft enough to crush with a spoon
7. Remove from heat and blend using an immersion blender until smooth
8. Add Cream and stir until combined
9. Add Sugar to taste
10. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste
11. Serve in warm bowls, topped with a swirl of cream or thinly sliced basil
IT’S OCTOBER Y’ALL! I had someone ask a while ago for a meatless recipe and this is one of my favorites but it wasn’t quite seasonal. Now is the season, and looking out at the joyful, grey, damp New England fall I think it’s more a time than ever to make us some bisque.
I think the exact definition of bisque is thickened with rice and cream, which this one accomplishes definitionally. The rice adds a silkiness that soups/bisques/savory smoothies thickened with a roux (flour and fat) just never attain- and if I have to convince you that adding cream helps anything then you already know you’re in the wrong place.
While you can definitely sub veggie broth for the chicken, I’m not sure about any cream substitutes because I honestly haven’t tried. Feel free to experiment with that!
Actually, experiment with literally everything. What I like about the amounts I’ve settled on here is the added sweetness of the carrot, the aromatics of the other vegetables, and the warming kick of the tiny amount of cayenne in here. But feel free to fiddle with this as much as you like, any of the ratios, soup’s fairly forgiving. Where I would continue to insist is the cayenne, the warmth of the soup accented by that same warming effect of the spice is wonderful. The vodka’s there because somewhere along the line I read that tomatoes have certain flavor compounds that are only soluble in alcohol, hence a glug of red wine into tomato sauces. Sugar’s there because canned tomatoes can be really unripe, and sometimes they need that boost.
Oh, and in case you missed my rant about American cheese, here’s your side dish for this bisque:
Grilled Cheese:
2 slices of literally any bread you have on hand
Mayonnaise
American Cheese, dammit
Place a pan able to fit the bread over medium heat and allow to get warm. Put one slice of bread mayo-side down. Top with cheese. Top with other piece of bread mayo side up. Heat, flipping, until both sides are toasty and cheese is gooey.
Dip into the soup.
Foolproof, that.
Fall’s becoming a more nostalgic time for me as life goes by. It’s weird not having the cycles of the seasons line up with the everyday happenings of life, like school or even vineyard work. I’ve a few days off and I’m enjoying them but that’s about it. The leaves are changing, the air gets colder, and suddenly there’s less to do.
I’ve finished another go through of the proofs of my book and ordered what I hope to be the final one. That deadline’s ticking nearer too, isn’t it? Oh boy.
Time for more soup, and then back to it!
Also hey.
Hey you.
Yeah, you.
Cook a lobster. Maybe just a lobster tail, I don’t care. Pick the meat from the shell. Saute the shell with the veggies. Simmer for 10/15 minutes with the broth and tomatoes. Before you add the rice, strain the shell out. Maybe throw in some old bay with the other spices, maybe not. Worcestershire would also be good. Just before you plate it put in some of the lobster meat and make sure it gets warm. Guess what you have? Lobster bisque. Welcome.