Tomato Soup w/ Tea Grilled Cheese

Tomato Soup

Tea, Grilled Cheese

with

Sandwiches

"Slow roasted Roma tomatoes, blended with caramelized red onion, fresh garlic & thyme & vegetable broth, served with hot cream and pesto, Calabrian chili, pepperoni, Mozzarella/Provolone tea sized grilled cheese sandwiches"

Directions

Note: To save time, tomatoes can be roasted a day ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 300F.

Wash the tomatoes well and pat dry. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and arrange sliced side up, very closely together on the baking sheet. Sprinkle sea salt over the tops of tomatoes and place in the center of oven for 3 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, place a sieve over a 1 quart measuring bowl or mixing bowl, and using a melon scooper or small spoon, scrape the seeds into the sieve. Once all tomatoes are cleaned, using a spatula or backside of a large serving spoon, press any tomato flesh/juices into the bowl, being sure to scrape the underside of sieve to remove any pulp/puree. Set aside.

Add the butter to a large skillet with tall sides, over medium heat. Add the onions, season lightly with salt (few pinches) and then reduce to med-low. Cook the onions, stirring often, until they reduce and start to nicely brown. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, roasted tomatoes and juices/pulp from the measuring bowl. Let simmer uncovered, over med-low for 15-20 minutes or until rich in flavor, occasionally using immersion blender to chop well. If you don't have an immersion blender, crush well, using a fork or other utensil. Season with pepper, and more salt if needed. Remove from heat and let cool some.

To remove skins and any remaining seeds, run the soup through your food mill using the medium sized disc (3mm), occasionally turning the crank in reverse, and then scrape any puree from the bottom of mill when finished. Add half of the soup to a blender and puree. Add the puree back to the remaining soup and add to a sauce pan. Reheat the soup and adjust salt & pepper if needed. Serve with the hot cream and tea, grilled cheeses. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Note: If you prefer a thicker soup, make a Beurre Manié by whisking 1 tablespoon of room-temp butter with 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in enough of the Beurre Manié to desired consistency and simmer for a few minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Ingredients

4 pounds fresh, Roma tomatoes

Flaky sea salt

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ cups diced, red onion

2-3 teaspoons freshly minced, garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons French thyme leaves

(narrow leaf)

1 quart vegetable broth (Zoup brand)

Black pepper

Heavy cream-served hot

18"x13" baking sheet

Parchment paper

Immersion blender

Food mill

Tea Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Pesto

Note: Make sure you use a good quality olive oil that's not too bitter.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon freshly minced garlic-taste it

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Flakey sea salt

White balsamic vinegar (preserves color)

1/4 cup finely grated, Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup good quality olive oil-taste for bitterness

Black pepper

Sliced Italian bread

Mozzarella cheese slices

Provolone cheese slices

Pesto

Thin pepperoni rounds, chiffonade cut

Chopped Calabrian chilis (jarred)

Butter, room temp

Cast iron skillet

Pesto

Add the basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, few pinches of sea salt and a few dashes of white balsamic vinegar to a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Scrape into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, season with black pepper and mix well.

Tea Grilled Cheese

Place a slice of Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses on top of a slice of bread. Spread some of the pesto onto a second slice of bread, top with some of the julienned pepperoni and then some of the chopped Calabrian chilis. Place the two pieces together and then brush some of the butter onto both sides. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium temperature. Brown each side of the sandwiches, let cool some and place onto a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, trim off the crusts (optional) and then slice in halves or thirds, depending on size of bread slices. Serve with the tomato soup.