Nun's bread

One of my goals this year is to post at least once a week here. At least that way there will be a semi-up to date record of our lives. So what does that have to do with Nun's bread...

One of my other goals is to be better about planning out our family dinners. So last night I made some very yummy tomato soup. This is where the Nun's bread comes in. For year's I have been passing the Sancta Clara Monastery with the sign outside advertising the Nun's Bread Sale. I was intrigued to know what this was all about, so I finally got up the gumption to go and try out the sale. They have breadsticks and soup for sale several times a year to support the monastery. Their tomato soup is just about the best I have ever had, the breadsticks are pretty darn good too, so if you go get lots. I have been on a quest to find a tomato soup that I like as well. The tomato soup I made is pretty close to my favorite. It a creamy tomato soup that is supposed to be a Panera Bread knock-off. Here's the recipe, it is easy and quick:




Creamy Tomato Soup

5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

Melt the butter in a soup pot.

Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned.

Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Slowly add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and continue to cook and stir until slightly thickened.

Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes to the milk, and bring just to a simmer.

Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender.

This is very creamy and the recipe I gave here doubles the tomatoes from the original. I think next time I will cut the milk down and increase the tomatoes even more. One suggestion I read, said to thicken the soup with focaccia bread crumbs, I think the Nun's soup is thickened with their breadstick crumbs. Apparently adding baking soda prevents the milk from curdling.

A funny story about the first time I went to the sale. I walked up from the drive way and I wasn't sure where to go for the sale. There was no one else around so I wasn't sure if I should walk right in or ring the door bell next to the door. So as not to be rude I rang the bell. There was a woman sitting in the entry way and she hollered come in, she was chuckling because I rang the bell. If you go, you don't need to ring the bell just walk in. In my defense the monastery used to be a home, a very big home really a mansion. A wealthy business man, John O’Dea, donated the mansion to the nuns. Also, in case you are wondering it is called a monastery, not an abbey, I have no idea why.