Good Friday Meal – Tomato Bisque

  It is a family tradition in my home to serve tomato soup on Good Friday.  This tradition was started by Sweetie’s Godfamily.  The children and nursing or pregnant mom gets a grilled cheese to go with their soup. 

Sweetie has named the tomato soup, Christ’s Blood.  I love that my GFG are always finding meaning in everything around them.

Good Friday (also called "Great Friday" or "Holy Friday") is the most somber day of the entire year. A silence pervades, socializing is kept to a minimum, things are done quietly; it is a day of mourning; it is a funeral. The Temple of the Body of Christ is destroyed, capping the the penitential seasons begun on Septuagesima Sunday and becoming more intense throughout Lent. Traditional Catholics wear black, cover their mirrors, extinguish candles and any lamps burning before icons, keep amusements and distractions down, and go about the day in great solemnity. ~ Fisheaters

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I’m sorry that this post is last minute.  My family has been a bit under the weather. 

The recipe below will make a bisque almost identical to that found at Safeway, yummy.  Some may question it’s appropriateness for a Lenten Meal, it’s that tasty.  I do!  However, it’s the only meal we’ll eat on Good Friday.

I triple the recipe below to feed my family, 2 adults and 4 kids.  It yields lots of leftovers but once the soup is gone, it’s gone since I’ll only make it once a year. 

This soup is good hot or cold.

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   Cut squash.  Sauté onions and garlic in butter or oil over medium-low heat until soft and golden.  Do not brown. Add tomatoes, tomato paste,  stock, butternut squash, salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.

Partially cover and simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender. 

Puree the soup with an emersion blender. Stir in cream.  Add some Tabasco sauce for a little kick. Heat the soup just to a boil, then serve.  Garnish with parmesan cheese.

I generally don’t follow this recipe (or any other recipe) to a T.  I included my variations in red. 

 

Recipe: Good Friday – Tomato Bisque

Prep Time: 15 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 30-35 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil (I use this Olive Oil (from Carmen’s Godfamily.)  My fav is A².)
• 1 onion, chopped (Don’t worry about chopping it small for the kids.  It’s all going to be blended.)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the minced garlic that comes in the jar.  I buy it from Costco and it lasts me all year long.)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with liquid (Canned tomatoes with Italian seasoning for added flavor.)
• 1/4-1/2 cup roasted garlic tomato paste (Add garlic powder to reg paste.)
• 2 cups vegetable or organic chicken stock (Any stock will do.  But theses two are the healthiest choices.)
• 2-2 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced (Directions are below.)
• Salt and ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (Dried Italian seasoning to taste, in place of basil and thyme.)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups nonfat half-and-half or nonfat yogurt (Once again, this is the healthy version.  I tend to go for taste, heavy cream.)
• Several dashes of Tabasco or other hot sauce.  (My kids don’t care for spicy so I divide the soup at the end and add hot sauce to half.)
• Parmesan cheese to garnish (cheese is not optional in my home.)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut squash.  This can be a toughie.  Be sure to use a sharp knife.  Cut in half, the shorter way.  Scoop out the seeds and fibers just as you would a pumpkin.  Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler.

Sauté onions and garlic in butter or oil over medium-low heat until soft and golden.  Do not brown.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste,  stock, butternut squash, salt, pepper, basil and thyme.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.

Partially cover and simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender.

Puree the soup with an emersion blender (You could use a standard blender, then pour back into the saucepan.)

Stir in nonfat half and half or yogurt.

Add some Tabasco sauce for a little kick.

Heat the soup just to a boil, then serve.

Garnish with parmesan cheese.