This is what I had for lunch today

[telophase]

We've got a fine dining restaurant near here that Toby and I like to go to for special occasions* called Bonnell's Fine Texas Dining. What's even more awesome is that not only has Jon Bonnell written a cookbook, but if you want to know one of his recipes, you can go to the website and ask, and they'll email it to you.

I made the Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno Soup yesterday...

Ressuring note: if you cut out ALL the seeds and ribs, the jalapenos will become quite mild (especially if you freeze them first). However, they will be hotter if they've grown in a hot and dry environment, such as Texas this summer, so cutting out all the ribs and seeds may not work -- I did that yesterday, and the soup was still almost hotter than I could bear. Almost. (Keep in mind I'm a wimp about spicy, too.) Green bell peppers can be substituted if you don't want spicy.

We also don't have a grill yet, so I broiled the vegetables and used a mesquite-smoked olive oil to add more smokiness to it.

He also has his own Creole seasoning blend in the cookbook, but we just used one we bought at the store, since we got to the store without a copy of his Creole seasoning recipe. :)

Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Soup

Serves 4-6

15 ripe roma tomatoes
1 extra large sweet onion (sliced into large rings)
3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
3-4 fresh jalapenos
2 limes (juice only)
1 1/5 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning blend
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Slice the jalapenos in half, cut off the stems and remove half of the white veins and
seeds. Grill the tomatoes, jalapenos and onion until well charred on the outsides. In a
large soup pot, lightly simmer the onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and garlic with a touch
of olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of water for 1-2 hours. Puree with a stick blender, strain,
add lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

Optional: Garnish the top with a little lime-flavored sour cream and chopped cilantro
or jalapeno slices.

Chef’s Comments: The heat level in this soup will completely depend on the
jalapenos. Some times of year the jalapenos can be 3-4 times hotter than others. If
you want to tame down the heat level in this soup, remove all of the seeds and white
membranes from the jalapenos before grilling them, or simply use milder peppers.





Oh, I also had Kraft mac & cheese for lunch along with it, because I had leftovers. :D (It's a comfort food - and it HAS to be The Yellow Stuff.)

* Okay, we've celebrated "it's Thursday" and "we need to use up the Groupon" at times.

Comments

[stardustmajick.livejournal.com]

Growing up, our comfort food was always tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. Something about tomato soup and cheesy, buttery foods is just spectacular.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Yup, tomato soup and grilled cheese is a comfort meal for me. :D And mac & cheese served with sliced home-grown tomatoes on the side.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Ah, I've wondered about that place. Tell me more about it?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I haven't had a bad dish there yet! It's fine-dining prices, so expect to spend $25-50 for an entree, and $7-12 each for an appetizer and dessert. The wait staff are friendly and willing to suggest things - I usually rely on their advice for wine. Service tends to be a bit slow, but as it's the sort of food you want to linger over, it's not that big a deal. Also, as it's slow I can eat an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert without feeling like I'm going to explode (I usually don't get appetizers and desserts when we go out, but Bonnell's is a special-occasion thing for us, so I indulge there.)

The entrees come with side dishes, so you don't need to get them, but you can order some of their standard side dishes separately if you'd like.

I don't know if there's a dress code or not -- most people wear business casual, but we've seen people wearing shorts being served at least two of the times we've been there. We tend to dress up a wee bit (to business casual) when we go, just because we don't get much of a chance to otherwise. They don't try to upsell you wine or drinks other than asking once if you'd like them; they've never hassled Toby for drinking iced tea.

The new dinner menu (http://bonnellstexas.com/dinner.php) has finally been updated on the website. Last time we went with a few friends and splurged on the 8-item appetizer sample platter, of which I sampled most things, and I can tell you my opinions:

Oysters Texasfeller -- Wow, wasn't expecting to love this, as I hate spinach. But I do.
Flash-Fried Calamari -- It's your standard calarami
Elk Mini Tacos -- Didn't get one.
Venison Carpaccio -- Very good.
Texas Shrimp and Creamy Grits with smoked Andouille sausage -- Was not expecting to love this, as I don't usually like grits, but YUM
Fried Green Tomatoes topped with lump crabmeat ravigotte -- Good
Crispy Bandera Quail Legs -- Love them
Texas Bruschetta -- Good

The house dressing, jalapeno and garlic, is exactly the right spiciness level for me, so I occasionally order a salad. Toby usually gets the tomato & jalapeno soup, which is just a hair too spicy for me the way they make it. He's also had a roasted red pepper soup from them which was on special one day and was fantastic. (I think it might be the Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Chowder from the book, but am not sure.)

I've only had one entree on the new menu, as I had the fish special last time I went - they usually have an appetizer or soup and two entrees that aren't on the menu as specials. I had the Pecan Wood Grilled Breast of Pheasant, which was great, although I thought the chipotle mashed potatoes were a hair spicy for me (I'm a wimp about spicy).

If you've got any specific questions I haven't covered, I can answer them. :D

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Aren't jalapenos also subject to some randomness. My friend Ken told me that most are mild, but every now and then you'll hit a mutant (not sure if he was joking or serious about that label) one that is crazy hot. And that does seem to match my experience.

One night I was eating grilled jalapenos (whole, or maybe seeded, but not much processed beyond that), happily munching along, until I hit one that set my mouth on fire. Ouch!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Maybe so. I don't eat enough that I've run across a crazy hot one that can't be explained by growing in hot, dry weather (serious drought down here right now!) or not cleaning it well enough. :)

[tprjones.livejournal.com]

Bell Peppers?! But that would totally change the flavor profile! No no no.

If you want to reduce the heat, all you have to do is clean and cut your jalapeños, then soak them in vodka. Let it really soak in for awhile, then drain, rinse, and repeat the soak a few times if you want to be really sure. Capsaicin dissolves in alcohol, so a good soaking booze bath should wash a lot of that heat away.

It doesn't have to be vodka; that's just a relatively flavorless choice. You can also use this process to add some additional flavors that match what you are cooking. Or you can forget the peppers and keep the booze instead, if you like the kick it absorbs.

I've not done it myself, but I remember a friend of mine who swore by it back in college. For the spicy booze that is, not the mild cooking. But if the booze is absorbing all the capsaicin, it stands to reason you must have peppers with less heat left over.