Pappa al Pomodoro / Roasted Tomato Soup

How to make Pappa al Pomodoro (Roasted Tomato Soup)

        We love roasted tomato soup, anytime of the year. I knew, there was no stopping me, when I saw a similar recipe in the bon appetit magazine. I made a few changes to suit the Indian palate & Voilà! It was a so... good & a big hit with my family. Serve a large bowl of this soup for a meal by itself or serve along with a tasty sandwich. 

         Pappa al Pomodoro is a hearty & thick Tuscan tomato-bread soup typically prepared with fresh tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic, basil, and various other fresh ingredients. The soup equivalent of dipping your bread into tomato sauce. This rustic dish is a summer comfort food. 

Total time - 1 hour

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2 lbs of ripe & juicy tomatoes, cored & quartered

6 to 8 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

6 Tbsp olive oil, divided, plus more

sea salt

freshly ground pepper corns

1/2 Tbsp dried basil

1/2 tsp Dry chilli flakes

1/4 loaf of country-style bread, crust removed, torn into 2" pieces (about 1.5 cups), divided

3 cups of water

Chocolate Bars with Walnut & Marshmallow Topping

How to bake Chocolate Bars with Walnut & Marshmallow Topping

         I have a happy announcement to make...... Today, I received an opportunity to share a recipe on Radio Zindagi for the Tamil listeners in the VA, MD & DC region. If you happened to listen to the show, where I gave step by step instructions for baking Coconut Macaroons, I would love to hear from you and get your suggestions & feedback about the show, please leave a comment about it.

       My kids love baked chocolate goodies so much, that they like to browse my cookbooks & pick up recipes for us to bake together. Depending on their level of patience, they will help me out (or not :o). Its hard for us to bear the withdrawal of the goodness of chocolate, for too many days at a stretch; so we end up baking something chocolaty at the first chance, we get. 

        Do you agree with - "Once a foodie, always a foodie" ? So, the foodie in me grabbed a book called Chocolate Divine Indulgence at a book fair. This book has a ton of chocolate recipes (including this one), all of which make small batches. I personally prefer recipes that make a small batch of goodies; that way I get to try a variety of recipes frequently & also, not have a ton of  leftovers. I'm pleased to share this bitter sweet recipe with my friends at CCChallenge.

Difficulty level - 1

Preparation: 20 mins + 1 hour to chill

Ingredients for 12 to 14 bars:

1/2 Cup (120 g) salted butter

1/2 Cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Cup (200 g) firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 Cup (75 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

1/2 Cup (120 ml) milk

1 Tsp vanilla extract (essence)

1 Cup (120 g) coarsely chopped marshmallows

1 Cup (120 g) coarsely chopped walnuts

1 Cup (180 g) dark chocolate chips