Roasted tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches

Mike and I love grilled cheese and tomato soup. We've attempted several different grilled cheeses (all turned out deliciously - you can't go wrong with hot cheese and buttered toast), and a couple of different tomato soups (with mixed results). When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's blog, I wanted to leap with joy. Roasted garlic and tomatoes?! Molten cheddar cheese?!? I'm in. Especially since our farmer's market has been stocked with a plethora of cheap, super ripe tomatoes over the past couple of weeks.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
(from Smitten Kitchen's recipe)

Soup

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Lid

4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste)

For the soup: Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves. Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree. Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

To make cheddar lid: Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Stir grated onion into the warm soup. (I love this last-minute suggestion of onion.) Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. Serve immediately.

Grilled Ham, Cheese, and Pickle Sandwiches

Every now and then I see a recipe that I know isn't healthy for me, but I really can't resist. I was able to convince Brit as well, and the resulting dinner was so worth it. We'll have to run extra hard for the rest of the week to burn off these calories...

Grilled Ham, Cheese, and Pickle Sandwiches
(Originally from Epicurious.com)

4 slices of bread
1/4 cup mayo
Curry powder
Low-fat mozzarella cheese slices (basically, the really tasty, melty cheese singles)
2 oz. goat cheese (we used a garlic and herb chevre that we get from our farmer's market)
Bread and butter pickles
Smoked ham slices (surprisingly, these had less sodium and cholesterol than the smoked turkey)
2 tbsp butter

Brit wanted to do something more interesting with the mayo, so she mixed in a little curry powder. The result was an excellent addition to the sandwich that blended really well with the flavors of the cheese and meat.

Generously spread the mayo on 4 slices of bread. Layer 2 slices with 2 cheese slices each. Cover the cheese with a layer of pickles. Cover the pickles with a few small pieces of goat cheese. Add a slice of ham, some more goat cheese, another slice of ham, and then another layer of cheese singles. Assemble the sandwich and generously butter the both pieces of bread.

Heat up a pan or skillet on medium heat. Spray the pan with non-stick spray and add the sandwich when it is hot. Cook until the bottom is nicely browned and flip. Cook some more until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melty. Serve hot with a bowl of tomato soup.