Let’s have eyeball soup for supper!

Published 12:04 am Saturday, October 29, 2011

No wonder soup for supper on Halloween has become a tradition in many of our homes. A pot of something hot and sturdy always matches the weather, which is either rainy and windy or clear and frosty.

Add a loaf of crusty bread, a pot of butter and maybe a plate of cheese and you’ve got it aced.

Created by chef Heather Hunsaker (www.foodonthetable.com), this Halloween spooner-upper should make a huge hit, particularly with kids, and especially little boys.

For even greater grub, serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches instead of the bread tonight.

Let’s not wait to try:

Bloody eyeball soup

1tablespoon olive oil

1small onion, chopped

4cloves garlic, minced

2tablespoons tomato paste

3cups chicken or vegetable broth

2cans (28 ounces each) diced Italian tomatoes

1/3cup minced fresh parsley

11/2cups half-and-half

1batch meatball eyeballs (recipe follows)

Cheese or croutons (if not using meatballs)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, diced tomatoes with juice and parsley.

Allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off heat and let soup cool slightly.

Working in batches, carefully puree the tomato soup mixture in a blender.

Return the pureed soup to the saucepan. Stir in the half and half and heat through. Serve topped with eyeball meatballs or other toppings such as cheese or croutons.

Makes 6 servings.

Eyeball meatballs

11/2pounds ground turkey

3/4cup rolled oats

1tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1teaspoon onion powder

1/2teaspoon garlic powder

2tablespoons Worcestershire

1/2teaspoon salt

1/2teaspoon pepper

12 green olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, oats, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix together and form into 12 meatballs. After meatballs are formed, press 1 green olive into the top of each meatball.

Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray and arrange meatballs in dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cooked through. Serve meatballs in the tomato soup.

The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section. Meanwhile, Happy Halloween!