Soup and Wine du Jour

If you liked the Blood Mary Soup that Dick Jordan made for today's "Final Exam" luncheon, click here to view and download the recipe.

Dick used heirloom tomatoes (fairly cheap in the grocery stores in September-October), but any tomatoes, including Romas, would probably work okay.  He's found that it normally takes about 2 hours (at 350 degrees) to roast large heirloom tomatoes (cut in half before roasting), much longer than the 25 minutes suggested in the recipe.

Dick added more horseradish, Tobasco and Worcestershire sauce than called for --- start with what the recipe recommends, then add more if it doesn't seem spicy enough for you.

Dick used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth as called for in the recipe.

Sour cream could probably be substituted for creme fraiche.

The red wine that Dick brought today is a blend called "The Duke 8" made by Wellington Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley. Its composition varies a bit from year.  This year's "The Duke 9" is still available (at $8/bottle it's a fantastic red wine bargain), but only at the winery's tasting room (or shipped to you after ordering online), and it will go fast as only a few hundred cases are made.

The rose was a 2010 Toad Hollow Dry Rose of Pinot Noir which you may be able to find at United Market for about $10/bottle.

The white wine was a 2009 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc.  You can probably find the 2010 vintage at Costco for about $11/bottle, far less than the $19/bottle at-the-winery price or the $15.99/bottle price at BevMo.