Thursday, August 2, 2012

Not Your Grandma's Tomato Soup

Spicy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Is there anything more down home American classic than tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich?  I submit there is not...

As a kid, however, I wasn't a HUGE tomato soup fan... I always thought it was kind of blah and preferred chicken noodle.  Although tomato soup accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich was perfectly acceptable.

Here's a soup/sandwich combo that will get your taste buds tingling.  And, sorry grandmas everywhere, this doesn't involve a can of condensed anything... 
This here is the real deal.  The chile peppers and ground red pepper kick up the heat a notch and the roasted veggies and chicken broth add great flavor.

Roasted Veggies

This makes a wonderful light supper for a rainy summer day, when tomatoes are in season and possibly coming out your ears.


I used an immersion blender to puree everything together, but if you don't have one, you can do one of the following:
  • after the roasted veggies come out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, then puree in a blender or food processor with about 1/4 cup of chicken broth (in batches if necessary)
  • for a chunkier soup, you can cool the veggies down after coming out of the oven and mash them up with a potato masher
  • then, add the pureed/mashed veggies to the pot with the chicken broth and continue with the recipe
Grilled Cheese Croutons

I made the croutons on my panini grill, but you could easily modify that part as well.  You're going for a really flattened, crispy grilled cheese sandwich, so if you don't have a panini grill or a panini press, try:
  • buttering both sides of the grilled cheese "sandwich", then place it in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat.  
  • Place a flat bottomed (heat proof!) plate or bowl on top of the sandwich and place something heavy on top of the plate or bowl (something like a large can of veggies or a brick).  
  • Cook for about 3 minutes, or until bread looks crispy and golden.
  • Remove plate or bowl and heavy object, flip the sandwich and repeat to cook the other side.
  • Continue with recipe instructions.
Spicy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Try it out (recipe on my recipage, here) and let me know what you think.  If you put your own twist on it, I'd love to hear about it!

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