By 6-0. Two games from the playoffs and I'm starting to feel the specific focus that comes when a season with real possibility is in its final regular weeks. The whole program narrows. Practices become more precise. Players who usually have some looseness in their attention start showing up with something in their eyes that I can't coach into them — it either appears when the stakes are real or it doesn't.
I had a conversation this week with Jordan Rivera, who is now a sophomore at CU. He came by the school on a Tuesday — was in town visiting family — and we walked the field together for an hour. He's developed physically and his decision-making in the CU offense has impressed me on the film I've watched. He told me that everything I taught him about pocket presence and the second read has become the basis of his college game. "I think about you in the pocket every play," he said. I told him that was very strange. He laughed. Then he said, "I mean it, Coach." I know. I know exactly what he means.
Hector had a setback this week — not a crisis, Marisol was careful to say not a crisis, but a hospitalization for fluid retention that required two nights in the hospital and an adjustment to his medication. I drove down on a Thursday, a five-hour round trip to sit with him for three hours. He was irritated about being in the hospital, which is Hector's way of saying he's scared, which is how I know he's okay. Fear expressed as irritation means fight still in him. He sent me home Friday morning and told me he didn't need babysitting. I told him I knew. I drove home and cried for about the first fifty miles and then I stopped and made dinner.
The drive home from Hector’s on Friday was long in the way that only emotional exhaustion makes a drive long—the miles measuring something other than distance. When I got back, I didn’t want to think about anything, but I also couldn’t sit still. Cooking is the middle ground between those two states, and this soup is exactly the kind of recipe that earns its keep on nights like that: warm, uncomplicated, and forgiving. You throw it together and it takes care of itself while you start to settle, which is about all you can ask from a meal at the end of a day like that one.
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Soften the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Build the base. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Blend until smooth. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pot until smooth and velvety. Alternatively, carefully transfer in batches to a blender and blend until smooth, then return to the pot.
- Add the cream and basil. Stir in the heavy cream, fresh basil, and butter over low heat. Let the soup warm through for 3–5 minutes without boiling. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread or a grilled cheese for a full meal.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 290 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 680mg