Tomato Soup Concentrate
When winter arrives, we crave the fresh flavors of summer. This recipe allows you to have summer tomato flavor in the winter. The Gardens at James Ranch have wonderful Roma tomatoes that work great for this recipe.
Makes 2 quarts
- 1 large onion
- 3 carrots
- ¼ lb. butter (1 stick)
- ¼ cup flour
- 9 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 6-8 leaves of basil (2 tablespoon dried)
- 2 stalks parsley
Instructions
- Sauté onions and carrots in butter until tender. Blend in flour. Add additional ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.
- Put through food mill or blender. Cool, then pour into freezer jars or plastic bags and freeze. Can be served hot or cold.
To each quart of thawed concentrate add:
- For hot soup: 1 cup cream plus 1 cup of milk with the options of adding 1 cup cooked rice or pasta with dash of Tabasco )
- For cold soup: 1 cup cream plus 1 cup yogurt or sour cream with the option of adding 1 cup of cucumber or avocado
(via Mount Holyoke College Cookbook)
Becca’s Macaroni and Cheese (The cheese maker’s wife)
This is a great recipe for winter, spring, summer and fall. If you’re looking for comfort food, this is one of those recipes everyone loves!
- 1 lb. pasta such as Fusilli or Penne
- 1 to 1.5 pounds of grated Young Belford James Ranch Artisan cheese
- ½ cup (1/4 pound) unsalted butter
- ½ cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- ½ to 1 tsp. salt to taste
- ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- Dash cayenne
- Pepper to taste
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al denté. You want it slightly undercooked to avoid mushiness in the final product.
- Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally at first and then constantly as it starts to thicken. This sauce will still be rather thin but will thicken more when baked.
- After the sauce has thickened a bit, add nutmeg, salt, cayenne, and pepper. Remove from heat and add 2/3 of the cheese, reserving 1/3 for the top. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Combine the pasta and cheese sauce and pour into a 9x13 pan. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It should be all bubbly.
- Turn on the broiler for the last minute or two if the cheese on top did not get as brown and crispy as you like. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, if you can wait, and then serve.
