This is a guest chef post from Kate of Om Shanti Handcrafts; you can find her original post of this recipe, along with adorable pictures of her cats, at her blog. She also makes spectacular lip balms, bath salts, jewelry, and other pretty and/or pleasantly-scented things – I encourage you to visit her Etsy shop (her tangerine vanilla lip balm is to die for!)

Many thanks to Alys for the original recipe and to Kate for her moderations, and for allowing me to post this here. This is an excellent example of how recipes evolve as they pass from person to person. Kate’s comments are in italics below.

Alys’s Tomato Bread Soup

• 1 lb. Italian sausage links (I’ve also used loose sausage just fine)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 or 6 cloves garlic, sliced or minced (though it’s hard to have too much)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp basil
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• other herbs as desired (oregano, marjoram, thyme, savory…)
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 2 or 3 14-1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes (or cut up fresh if you’ve got em)
• 1 48 oz can chicken broth (or from scratch — easy and AWESOME)
• 1 tbsp dry sherry or wine
• 1/2 tsp salt or bouillion (I use this only if I’m using my own chicken broth — otherwise there’s already plenty of salt)
• dash pepper
• 1 loaf bread (a good, sturdy loaf of Italian or French — bread with some heft!) (I’ve used Philly soft pretzels with awesome results)
• shredded parmesan cheese

Note that all measurements are approximate, and should be adjusted to taste.

Cook sausages at least halfway done, allow to cool enough to handle, and slice.

Meanwhile, sauté onions in olive oil for a couple minutes, add garlic and sauté a little longer, until garlic is done.

Before garlic turns brown, stir in herbs and tomato paste. Add diced tomatoes, sliced sausages, broth, and wine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, and simmer until the sausage is done through.

While soup simmers, tear or cut the bread into crouton-sized pieces.

Place a handful of bread into each bowl, ladle soup over, and garnish with parmesan. Add a drizzle of good, fruity olive oil and/ or freshly ground pepper if you like.

Everyone needs a super-simple snack recipe in their files, whether it’s for an impromptu get-together, an evening of board games with friends, or a championship game; this is mine. In the mood for something different? After marinating, pulse the entire mixture in a food processor until smooth, and serve with firm crackers for an amazing cheese spread.

Marinated Party Cheese

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces soft cheese (I prefer Montrachet-style goat cheese, but fresh mozzarella works just as well)
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained, if oil-packed)
• 1 cup black olives
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Roughly chop cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Gently toss all ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.

Serves 10.

Looking for more easy party food? This recipe, and others like it, will appear in the Game Night Party Event hosted by Fun and Food.

Tomato and Onion Tart

Ingredients:

• 3 large onions, sliced thin
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed per package instructions
• 3/4 lb shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 lb plum tomatoes, cut into thin rounds
• 3/4 lb orange or yellow tomatoes, cut into thin rounds
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil leaves for garnish

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and begin to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to temperature recommended by puff pastry manufacturer. Lay pastry sheet on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and dock the center of the sheet, leaving a 1″ border around the outer edge. (The undocked border will rise and form a crust.)

Spread onion mixture over docked area of pastry, avoiding undocked edges. Top onions with cheese. Arrange tomato slices on top, alternating colors to form a pattern. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake per pastry instructions. Cool before slicing into rectangles, and serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with basil leaves.

Serves 12-16 as an appetizer, or 3-4 as a main course.

Image by Frederick Hansen

I am not a big vegetables person. I love my salads for lunch and raw carrot snacks, but I tend to forget about making a vegetable with dinner. This recipe gets around that nicely, by making vegetables that I love into the main part of the dish. This originally served as a sauce for chicken, but is delicious over pasta as well. It’s also fabulous reheated the next day.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Asparagus Cream Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients :

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large portobello mushroom caps, washed and coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 large fresh basil leaves, whole
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook mushroom pieces in butter, stirring frequently, until they reduce in size and the juices have accumulated in the pan. Reduce heat to very low and allow mushrooms to remain in pan, warming, while other ingredients are prepared.

Chop half of the tomatoes into small pieces and add to food processor with garlic, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1/2 cup milk. Process until smooth, and add to mushrooms in pan. Increase temperature to medium-high. Whisk in remaining milk and cream, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

While cream is cooking, discard asparagus bottoms and slice stalks into 3/4″ pieces. Slice remaining tomatoes in half. Add sliced tomatoes, asparagus, and whole basil leaves to pan, and cook, without stirring, until asparagus is tender. Remove from heat and discard basil. Add parmesan cheese and stir until thoroughly combined.

Serves 4-6 over chicken or 2-3 over pasta.