What? Did You Say Tomatoes?
Yes...with a little imagination, tomatoes can fall from the sky...and spaghetti and hot dogs and all kinds of things...if you're reading Ron Barrett's brilliant classic: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Believe it or not, I went through my whole childhood without reading Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was one of those award-winning bestsellers that had escaped me. But as with most inspired books, if they're meant to find you, and you them, they'll eventually end up in your hands and fill your heart to the brim.
Libraries and Kitchens—A Few of My Favorite Things
My serendipitous food-book moment came when I was working at a children's book publisher, but not because I was surrounded by children's books but because I have a magnetic pull to libraries. Just like kitchens, if there's a library near by, I'll end up in it. Scholastic had a pretty kick-ass library. It was a never-ending labyrinth in a basement and smelled of old books and secrets. It was probably the best place in the whole building. No big personalities, no publishing deadlines, just a sea of books celebrating the imagination. Of course, I had to befriend the librarians. And thanks to them, I found many a lovely book and enlisted my new friends in my search for kids' books with food in them.
One day, the librarians gave me a nice little stack of books to read and tucked right in the middle was a slightly-weathered, hardcover picture book: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. "I finally get to read it!" I thought. I sat there at my desk, opened up the first page, and didn't stop. My emails sat untouched. My phone, unanswered. I was gone. I was in another land, a land where a tomato tornado could hit a town while everyone sneezed from the pepper in the wind.
The book was wondrous. WONDROUS.
Ron Barrett's work…painstakingly detailed in every way and sending odes to the pointillists of the past, really nuances each and every vignette with personality and humor. And Judi Barrett’s tale is imaginative in ways that make you wish you were a kid again. It's just a perfect story. I hugged the book when I was through, somehow recapturing a little piece of my childhood.
Sticks and Leaves and Puddles, Too
I can prove this book was destined to find me—no matter how many years it took. When I was about four years old, I would sit outside next to the hedges in my grandmother's backyard and take sticks, leaves, berries, dirt, whatever I could get my hands on, and make "food" for my stuffed animals. There were times when it would rain, but that didn't stop me. I'd just go back outside again and make soup out of the puddles. A few years later, my mother bought me a little apron with a recipe for Raindrop Soup printed on the front. I made some really great soup, I tell you. Puddles in Texas were magically delicious (at least in my imagination).
From Raining Food to Recipes
What recipe could I possibly share with my dear Steemians to go with this book? There’s much to choose from. Pea soup? Mashed potatoes? Pancakes? Jello, hot dogs, hams? Tomato tornado soup? Yes! That’s what we’ll try here…Tomato Tornado Soup. It's a tried-and-true, easy, tomato soup recipe—and anyone can do it.
By the way, if you have little ones in your life, having to stay inside on a rainy day, (or if you're just the type to celebrate all that life has to offer—even rain), making tomato soup with some cheesy toast and reading a good book are good alternatives to screen time. And if you don't have a copy, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a good home library addition that's sure to inspire kiddos to join you in the kitchen (no matter what their age.)
Tomato Tornado Soup with Cheesy Toast
Recipe by Elise McMullen-Ciotti
Serves four
Ingredients
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
28 ounces diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Tools
64-ounce soup pot
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Immersion blender (or regular blender)
Method
- Put all ingredients into a pot and blend with an immersion blender. (Or blend tomatoes in a regular blender, then add it to pot with spices and broth.)
- Heat over stove until hot, beginning to simmer.
- Taste your soup. Add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Pour into bowls and serve with cheesy toast, crackers, or cheese on top — whatever makes you happy! Enjoy.
Other Ways to Play with Your Food
- For creamier soup: add ½ cup cream and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- For heartier soup: add 1 sautéed chopped onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, substitute fresh chopped garlic for garlic powder, and only blend your ingredients halfway, keeping the ingredients chunky.
- Suggestions for toppings: freshly chopped basil, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, diced avocado, ½ teaspoon pesto, ½ teaspoon mascarpone cheese or sour cream.
Recipe originally published on JudyNewmanAtScholastic
All photos by Elise McMullen-Ciotti
