Lynda asks RowHouse owner/chef Greg Fox: I love the fall because it seems like such a great time for soup. Do you have a secret/awesome/yummy soup recipe you can share?

Greg: This is my most requested Tomato Dill Soup Recipe, and the easy version using canned tomatoes.

Tomato Dill Soup
1 can stewed tomatoes, pureed 
2-3 green onions, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced small
1/4 stick salted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp dried dill
Pinch each coarse kosher salt and sugar

In sauce pan over medium high heat, get your pan hot then add butter.  It should sizzle, but not burn, so not crazy hot.

Melt butter.  Add green onions, garlic, and celery, stir for 1 minute.  Add salt and sugar.  Stir for another minute.  Add pureed tomatoes.  Add cream.  Whisk to combine.  Lower heat, and simmer until it's as hot as you like to eat it.  Enjoy.  

I can't stress enough that this recipe is as easy as it sounds and it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to complete.  The vegetables need to stay crunchy.  

What drinks do you like best in the summer?

I'm a beer drinker — not just beer — but I do love beer. My favorite summer cocktail is, and this may sound complicated, but I make grapefruit sorbet, put it in glass with vodka, and bit of cranberry juice. It’s basically a jazzed up seabreeze. Margaritas are always tops on my list.

What tips do you have for matching your drink with your meal — tips you might share with your customers?

I'd be lying if I told you my favorite drink with food is something other than beer — yea, even over wine. I love the texture of beer. I love how it cools hot flavors and doesn't interfere with taste — well unless I've had too many.

I like to drink wine with food but don't get too uptight about it. I follow some of the “rules” but not many. I drink wines I like. I don't particularly think white wine works with red meat, but if that's what you like, that's what you should do. If I'm drinking two different wines within the course of a dinner, I always go with the lighter (not necessarily whiter) wine first, because the bigger wines do take over, and I can't go from big red to little red — at least not and taste anything.

A bit of a secret: My favorite summer wine, is a traditional French Pink, lovely, dry, clean and crisp, with just hints of fruit and perfect before eating with barbecue or anything fun. It's a tough sell though. White zin has stolen the color and squashed people’s willingness to try pink wine.

Rebecca asked via e-mail: During hot, summer months, what are some good, easy meals to fix at home?

Many people know I am a salad nut! And I mean Meal type salads. Start with the basics, some good greens, slivered onions, cheese, and a homemade viniagrette, then add some substance, like cous cous, or black beans, or chicken, or fish. It's great to toss big pieces of a torn baguette into a salad as well. The additions add bulk to fill me up, and all of it is quick and light. The key is a homemade dressing. One part vinegar, 3 parts oil, 1/2 part sugar, pinch salt. I also always toss my ingredients together with the dressing.

Other favorites for me are Roasted veggies and pasta, hot or cold. I love to make my own Hummus, and eat it as a sandwich with cucumber slices, and swiss, plus a bit of viniagrette.

I'll cook rice and pasta for the week and keep it in the fridge till ready to use, which is great for a quick stir fry, or stir fried rice (veggies and egg)

We eat lots of sandwiches, which can be boring, but it's light and cold.

Having some quality frozen fish filets in the freezer, can be thawed and either roasted or quick seared and paired with couscous for a quick elegant dinner. Just add a veg.

Which reminds me, an awesome item to keep in the pantry for quick fix is couscous. It cooks in no time, just pour hot water over and cover, ready in under 8 minutes. It can be plain, or dress it up with things you put in a salad. It's great as a side dish, or I eat it as the main event for lunch. I just add veggies on hand, green onions, peppers, parm cheese, then toss it like a salad in a quick vinaigrette. Frozen peas or canned corn are fine quick additions.

Think light, quick, and cool for summer menus, and always remember a sorbet from the store with some fresh berries served in a wine glass is an awesome elegant dessert.

Katy asks: We had an amazing Asiago Cheese Risotto at RowHouse recently, what is the secret to making a tasty risotto? Is there a way to make it quickly?

Greg: Risotto is delicious, but it takes time. I don't know a way around that, but I can tell you to cook it ahead of time, even a day or two and then finish it in just a minute with a little stock and the remaining ingredients.

When I make risotto I always feel like I'm having to work real hard, the steam is in my face and I'm tired of stirring, but then I taste it and I forget how much effort went into it.

Try this: Oil in a hot saucepan, just covering the bottom. Medium high heat. Stir in onions and garlic. Cook 1 minute. Stir in the Arborio rice (risotto) until rice is coated with the oil in the pan. Add 1/2 cup white wine. Stir until liquid is nearly gone. Add stock 1/2 cup at a time, and keep stirring. When risotto is al dente, (just about soft) remove from heat and stir in other ingredients such as cheeses and/or roasted veggies and make sure to season to your liking with coarse kosher salt and a pinch of sugar.

Put aside in the fridge until serving. Keeps a couple days max. When you are ready to eat. Put a saute pan over medium high heat, add 1/4 cup stock. Add cooked risotto and stir until creamy. Add any greens to finish, maybe a pinch of salt. Taste and serve it up. (3 minutes)