CREAM OF TOMATO--DILL SOUP WITH SHRIMP
(Baltimore Sun—“Recipe Finder”—May 5, 2010)
***This recipe comes from Oprah.com and was adapted from a recipe from Art Smith’s
“Kitchen Life”Cookbook. A simple substitution of fresh Dill (for the Marjoram)
was made.from the recipe the author found.
The finished Soup had balanced flavor and a rich, creamy consistency.
It was as pretty to look at, as it was tasty.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Ingredients:
¾ lb. medium shrimp (25-31 count) unshelled. (I have used Old Bay
steamed shrimp as part of this…maybe half--just for the flavor in the broth).
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth—or Home-made. (I make my own….)
5 Tbs. Unsalted Butter—divided use. More never hurts!
1 Medium rib Celery—finely chopped.
½ cup Shallots, chopped (Sweet Onion, like Vidalia, can be substituted)
1-2 cloves garlic—minced (I like a couple more…)
½ cup all-purpose flour for thickening
1 can (28 oz.) Diced Tomatoes with juice
2 cups ½ and ½.
2 Tbs. Fresh Dill, chopped. Dried dill will do--just half the amount.
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
***NOTE; I find salt NOT necessary in this dish. Tomatoes have plenty of it.
So does “Old Bay”—if you use steamed Shrimp shells as part of the required
Shrimp amount. I love the flavor a lot better when I do that…..
To Do----
--Peel and de-vain Shrimp, reserving the shells.
--Combine the shells and the Chicken Broth in a saucepan and bring to a
simmer over medium heat.
--Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
--Strain the Shells-- reserving the broth –You should have about 2 cups.
Add water, or more broth, if needed to make up the quantity.
*****Pre-cooked broth from shells can be made ahead of time and frozen
in Zip-bags. Makes for less work when you want to serve this…
Meanwhile----
--Melt 4 Tbs, Butter in a saucepan/pot over med. heat.
--Add Celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften.
(about 2-3 minutes).
--Add Shallots (or Sweet Onion) and Garlic and cook stirring, until
they soften--about 2 minutes.
--Add the four and stir in until it is thickened a bit. Heat it through well.
--Add diced Tomatoes with their juices—stir and heat through.
--Stir in the reserved Broth, ½ & ½ and Dill and heat through for a few minutes.
--Bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer, uncovered, until the Soup is lightly thickened—about 30 minutes.
Stir,now and then, so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Season with S & P and Old Bay if desired.
****As I said—salt is NOT necessary here….but OK if you want to.
I use fresh ground, black pepper and coarse Sea Salt to taste.
--Just before serving, melt the remaining Tbs. of butter in a large skillet over
medium to high heat. Add the Shrimp and cook, stirring, just until they
turn opaque. They will continue cooking in the hot soup as you add them.
--Stir Shrimp into the hot Soup—reserving about 2 whole Shrimp per
serving to garnish with.
--Serve hot soup, garnished with the reserved, whole shrimp, and a twig of
fresh Dill.
***Garlic Bread or fresh, buttered bread or Pita Chips can be served as an
accompaniment.
TIME SAVER NOTE:
--Do all your chopping and dicing and shrimp-shelling ahead of time. Refrigerate.
--Broth can be homemade and pre-cooked with the shrimp shells—and then frozen.
--THINK!!! Any time you eat, or cook, shrimp—save the shells and freeze them.
OR--pre-cook them in the broth and then freeze that broth in Zip-Loc bags.
Nice to have that on hand.
Yummmm……This is a keeper!!!! Gita
