1 English cucumber
2 red bell peppers
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop all the vegetables. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not puree or you will have baby food!

First goes the cukes…

Tomatoes…

Garlic and red pepper…

Red onion…

Add the tomato juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to your vegetables. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Gazpacho!

Ingredients….

Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1/2 c of chopped parsley
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Soup:
4 cups of chicken stock
3 cups of water
1 bunch of scallions chopped
1 lb mushrooms (any kind), chopped
sprigs of thyme
1/3 c chopped dill
salt and pepper

Sautee the scallions and chopped mushrooms in olive oil.

Add chicken stock and water, let it simmer.

Combine all the meatball ingredients, roll em into balls.

Add meatballs, dill and sprigs of thyme.

Cook on medium heat for 1.5-2 hours, and boom.

I wanted to make a tomato soup because I get really excited any time I buy green tomatoes. They are so tart and have a lot more acid than “red” tomatoes, and really add a nice taste to a soup or sauce. Butter, cayenne pepper, basil, white wine, and cream top add layers of flavor you can’t imagine.

Ingredients:
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1 pound ripe green tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of canned crushed tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 cups of chicken/vegetable stock/ water
1/3 c white wine
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c heavy cream
sliced French bread/baguette
fresh grated cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Slice tomatoes lengthwise, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes.

In a pot, heat olive oil and butter. Sautee chopped garlic and onions. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne. Sweat the onions until brown, about 8 minutes. Splash some white wine into the onions and garlic and add the crushed tomatoes.

Add the stock or water to the onions and crushed tomatoes until it comes to a boil.

Cook roasted tomatoes and their juices in the soup pot with the stock. Add sugar and freshly chopped basil. More salt and pepper can be added here to taste.

Reduce heat once soup is at a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pass through a blender for desired pureed thickness.

Add heavy cream and stir in well.

In your bowl, arrange thin slices of French bread and pour soup.

Garnish with grated parmesan, cheddar, or ementhal and ENJOY!

Here is my recipe of Sweet Potato Soup! Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peled and diced
1 leek, white part only, diced
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
3 cups water
3 cups vegetable/chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, dice onion and leek and saute in butter.

Dice sweet potato and carrot and add to pot, stirring, with salt and pepper.

Add stock and water to cover vegetables. Cover for 30 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

In batches, ladle the soup into a blender and puree.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Starters:

Potato Soup
Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage
Hummus, Matbucha, Chazilim (Israeli Dips)

Main Course:

Mom’s Turkey & Potatoes
Grandma’s French Roast
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Moroccan Couscous + Vegetables

Dessert:

Mom’s Jello Mold (sounds weird but is amazing)
Plum Cake
Chocolate Mousse Cake