A Word From The Other Parsimonious Chef...: Sept 18th.... Comfort Food with a Twist....Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. And Grilled Cheese with Muddled Tomato and Pepperoni Sauce....

Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Grilled with Muddled Tomatoes & Pepperoni Sauce

One of my fondest memories is my love affair with grilled cheese sandwiches and a warm bowl of tomato soup as much for the taste as for the fact that it was one of the things that my older sisters would allow me to make unattended. Who would have thought that their trust, patience and need for down time from my pesky butt would have eventually lead to this, funny..... After all, who couldn't open up a can of soup, heat it up, slap some Velveeta between 2 pieces of Wonder Bread, butter a pan and make this dish. Me, apparently, let's just say I burned more than I consumed as a youngster. The one thing that I pride myself on is my ability to dismiss failure as a simple opportunity to learn and keep it moving forward. I now know that Velveeta is NOT cheese and there are a wide variety of breads that are better suited for this manna (food of the Gods). I also know that condensed soup sucks, especially when you consider the fact that if you make it yourself you have complete control over the flavor, texture and nuances. And after all, there is nothing that your children or significant other will appreciate more than a this waiting for them on an early fall day..........

On the menu today:

Cheddar & Smoked Provolone Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Grilled Cheese with Muddled Tomato - Pepperoni Sauce

Grilled Cheese with Muddled Tomato - Pepperoni Sauce

Roasting vegetables intensifies the flavor of vegetables and fruit, it's a process that can be skipped but it's worth the time and takes minimal effort. Adding herbs, olive oil and lightly salting is more than enough to get you on your way to a great tasting soup.

For the Soup we will need the following:

Large Ripe Tomatoes (8-10 ea)
Garlic (2 tsp)
Basil (1 bunch)
Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
Vegetable or Chicken Stock (2 cups)
Heavy Cream (1/4 cup)

Roasted Tomato Soup

Start the process by rinsing the tomatoes and removing the core. Dice the tomatoes large and add the olive oil then lightly salt adding chopped fresh basil then roast in an oven preheated to 250 for 1.5 hours. The lower the heat and longer they roast the more flavor will be imparted in your soup at the end. While the tomatoes are in the oven add a dash of olive oil to a large sauce pot on medium heat then add the garlic to be lightly toasted. Add the stock allowing it to reduce by 1/4. Once the tomatoes are roasted add them to the large sauce pot with the stock, cover and reduce the heat allowing to cook down for 20 - 30 minutes. Use a hand wand (electric hand mixer) to thoroughly chop the tomatoes and then strain reserving the pulp (muddle) for a separate use. Bring the soup to a rolling boil and add the cream allowing it to cook for another 2 minutes and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Roasting Tomatoes, Garlic & Basil

Finished Roasted Tomato Soup

For the Muddled Tomato - Pepperoni Sauce we will need the following:

The reserved tomato pulp (as much as is left behind)
Pepperoni (1/4 cup)
Chicken or Veggie Stock (1/4 cup)

Muddled Tomato Pepperoni Sauce

Dice the pepperoni small and heat it in a sauce pot then add the muddled tomato pulp and the stock allowing to cook down and thicken to your liking.

A Grilled Cheese Sandwich is only as good as the bread and cheese that you opt to use. I use Brioche or Challah Bread, and for the cheese I love Cheddar but there is something about Provolone that just belongs on a melted sandwich, adding the smokiness factor into the Provolone is an added bonus..

For the Grilled Cheese we will need the following:

Challah Bread or Brioche (2 P P)
Butter (2 Tbs)
Smoked Provolone (2 oz pp)
Cheddar (2 oz pp)

Slice the cheese and add the butter to the pan setting the stove top on medium heat. Add the sliced cheese between two thick cut slices of bread. Toast both side until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Slice in half and enjoy.............