Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sunday Supper

A grilled cheese fixation hit hard last week.

While innocently conversing with colleagues about the wonders of good melted cheese sandwiched in between toasty buttery bread, I found myself, like a deer caught in the headlights, face to face with a craving.

When a craving arrives, it doesn't knock softly, rather, it seems to transfix and woo me into submission. But like Harry Potter's Patronus is to a dementor, my deep breathing and mindful food/memory associations turn a craving into what it really is: something else. On that grilled cheese day, it worked.

But then Sunday came, and with it, rain, and more grilled cheese cravings. So I interpreted the steady stream of precipitation and gray coldness as a sign from a higher power that grilled cheese was destined to be made for Sunday supper. And tomato soup too.

The soup is made with straightforward tomato flavor. While more finessing is in store for this dish, I found it to be a very tasty sidekick to my sammy.

As for the grilled cheese, the best guidance I can offer is just get some good cheese, bread, butter, and a frying pan, and you're on your way to grilled cheese heaven.

What I enjoy about eating this dish is that the tomato soup is light and zingy, while the grilled cheese is buttery and satisfying. This combination of light and substantial pairs well with March weather, when Spring is quite indecisive.




Tomato Soup
Makes 4 cups


1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 large onions sliced
1 tsp salt
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 large cloves garlic, diced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions
In a medium sized soup pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. When butter melts and is frothy, add onions and salt. Cook 30 minutes on low heat or until onions are golden, stirring every 10 minutes. Careful not to burn onions. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic, and pepper flakes, bring to a fast simmer, and cook 15 minutes. Blend together (immersion blender is great here) until soup is smooth.

Grilled Cheese
(Makes 4; one sammy for dinner, one for lunch)


Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Butter, softened
6 slices Good bread, sliced evenly
12 ounces of your favorite cheese, sliced evenly

Directions
Heat a large non-stick frying pan (preferably one that has a lid) over medium heat. Butter one side of each bread. On unbuttered side of one piece of bread, lay cheese slices evenly. Close sandwich with second piece of bread, buttered side on the outside. Assemble remaining sandwiches. Cook one side until golden and flip. A few times during cooking, cover with a lid to encourage steam and get the cheese melting.

1 comment:

  1. YUM! Perfect rainy day food memory, honey! We are so ingrained associating food with weather. Not a bad thing. xoxoxox

    ReplyDelete