Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
I, Thomas Mates, am a man on a quest to find the other half of a magic amulet and free myself from the curse of Amun-Ra.
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So have any of you seen half an amulet lying around?
OK, well, we will try again tomorrow.
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As of right now, we are just about a week away from our next Hits The Road show in the 32771 ZIP code.
On April 10, we will be going live from Hollerbach’s German Restaurant from 4 to 7 p.m. and we want you to be there. It will give you a chance to meet our anchors and reporters. You can share story ideas with us or just say “hi!”
Speaking of Hollerbach’s, we had Christina Hollerbach on this week’s Florida Foodie, so make sure you read ahead to check out her interview.
OK, let’s get into it.
A force for change🍻
Hollerbach’s was a life-long dream for Christina Hollerbach’s parents. Now, she is picking up the torch and taking the family business into the future.
Hollerbach is very passionate about her business and her community. In her conversation with Lisa Bell and Candace Campos, she talked about how she has seen Sanford grow and change in the more than 20 years Hollerbach’s has been in business.
>You can check out the whole episode here<
Don’t forget you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube.
Small bites🧄
Haunted dining👻: Central Florida is home to one of the most haunted restaurants in the country, apparently. Ashley’s Tavern in Rockledge is the setting for several ghost stories, such as the tale of Ethel Allen, a 19-year-old woman who reportedly frequented the tavern in the 1930s before she was murdered. You can read more about the tavern’s history here.
Dine and dash🏃: Registration is open for SeaWorld Orlando’s first-ever Seven Seas Food Festival Fun Run. Click here for the details.
Casual meal🍖: An Orlando-area eatery ranked as the best spot in Florida to grab a casual meal. It’s a pretty familiar name around the area. Find out which restaurant took the top spot here.
Something to try at home 🍽️
The other day, my lovely wife made a meal request for tomato soup with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Of course, I acquiesced because I love my wife and it was an easy way to make her happy. I riffed on a basic tomato soup recipe I’ve played with a few times and the results were pretty stellar, so I’ve decided to share that recipe with you all today.
Ingredients:
- 32oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 16 oz of vegetable stock
- Half an onion, minced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Half a cup of heavy cream, plus extra for garnish
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil, plus extra for garnish
- 3 tablespoons of cold butter
Step 1: In a stock pot, over medium heat, coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Add your onions and lightly salt them. Saute them until they turn translucent.
Step 2: Add your garlic, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.
Step 3: Add your tomatoes and cook until the raw tomato smell dissipates. Then add your stock and heavy cream. Reduce to a simmer and allow it to cook with the lid off for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 4: With an immersion blender, start blending your soup until smooth. As you blend, add your cold butter one tablespoon at a time until each knob is completely emulsified into the soup. This will give the soup a silky, smooth consistency. You can do this in a normal blender, but be careful. When you blend hot liquids, steam will rapidly escape and can cause the lid of your blender to pop off. Just make sure you use a rag and push the lid down as hard as you can.
Step 5: Taste your soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve in a bowl and top it with a couple of glugs of heavy cream and olive oil, along with some fresh cracked pepper.
This is a simple recipe, but it yields great results. The soup is very filling and pairs great with a grilled cheese. You could also add some bacon crumbles to the top for a smoky flavor.
That’s it for today.
Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.
Send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
Don’t forget to send in your foodie pictures as well through our PinIt! program.