September
22nd was the official first day of fall. Maybe you have some tomatoes
left over and you're not sure exactly what to do with them. Gazpacho or a
pico de gallo just doesn't fill the void. You could opt for a tomato
sauce with meatballs and sausage, just like grandma used to make -- but if your
grandma is anything like mine that's an all day process.
Why
not make a soup? Roasted tomato soup is perfect this time of the
year. Paired with a brioche grilled ham and cheese, it's the perfect fall
lunch or even dinner.
The
tomatoes should be roasted hot and fast. Too slow and the natural sugars
will develop and caramelize, and it will taste more like tomato sauce than
tomato soup. I find getting some char on the tomato adds a level of
flavor.
I
like to use chicken stock for my tomato soup, but if you're going the
vegetarian or even vegan way you could substitute vegetable stock. (Although
this way you may need to lose the ham and grilled cheese altogether).
Selecting
the stock is an important step. If you have the means I highly suggest
making your own. I have a chest freezer at home and I make my own stock
and keep it in plastic quart containers. This way when I need to make a
soup or a sauce I have veal, chicken and vegetable stock that I know is of good
quality at my disposal. You will find it to be a fraction of the cost of
store bought stock. You will also benefit from knowing exactly what's in
your stock. No additives or preservatives, artificial flavors or
coloring. If you must use store bought stock though I prefer using
Kitchen Basics brand. I find it to be the closest thing to home
made. You would be surprised what some store bought stocks have in them
aside from being loaded with salt.
Made
right, a bowl of roasted tomato soup is deep, savory, a touch fruity and smoky.
Toast your sandwich with a smear of good butter and dunk it right in.
It's a perfect complement to a crisp fall day.
Roasted Tomato Soup with Brioche Grilled Ham and Cheese
Makes 2 quarts or 6-8 servings
3lb plum or beefsteak tomatoes
1 red pepper
½ small red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 qt. chicken stock (homemade or reduced sodium)
2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
2ea whole bay leaves
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into ½ in rounds
Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ c heavy cream
½ lb sliced sharp cheddar cheese
12-16 slices of brioche
1/3 lb Smithfield ham (any ham you prefer can be used)
For the Soup:
Preheat your oven to 450°. Core
and ¼ the tomatoes, seed the pepper and cut into 1 inch strips. In a mixing bowl combine the tomatoes,
pepper, onion, garlic, carrots and thyme.
Toss with a dab of Vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Select a medium size sheet tray or roasting
pan that is large enough to accommodate the tomato mixture. You don’t want to pile the tomatoes in or
they will steam in the oven so be sure to select a pan that is large enough for
a single layer. Preheat the pan in your
oven for 10-15 minutes. Once preheated
carefully remove from the oven, coat the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil
and pour the tomato mixture into the pan spreading it evenly around. Return the pan to the oven and roast for
approximately 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have some char on them. Stir them around a bit and roast for another
5-10 minutes. Once they are all evenly
roasted and charred remove from the oven.
Transfer the roasted tomatoes mixture into a 4 qt sauce pot and add the
chicken stock and bay leaves. Simmer
mixture for 10 minutes. Remove the bay
leaves and discard. Puree the soup in a
blender and return to the sauce pot.
Bring to a low simmer and add the heavy cream. While stirring add the butter and continue to
stir until it is dissolved. Season with
salt and pepper and enjoy.
For the grilled cheese:
Assemble the grilled cheese.
Preheat a cast Iron Pan over a medium flame and grill the sandwiches in
a dab of butter on both sides until golden brown. Serve with Roasted Tomato Soup
