Hey hey,
I’ve been cooking quite a bit lately to make dinner for 1 (me) So I make things I like to eat, things that came across today in the mail / pinterest / food sites. As the grocer is just 5 mins away from my work place, I will make a note on what fresh ingredients to buy then go get them after I leave work before I head home.
40 minutes later I would be back and start cooking! I usually try not to do anything tooo over the top and go with just fresh and simple ingredients but not too boring. I also don’t really cook so much chinese food as we eat out alot on chinese food it makes it no reason for me to cook that.. It isn’t very economical honestly to cook for 1. Sometimes you buy a packet of salad leaves and you only eat 1/4 of it. Hence for the next 4 days, you need to incorporate them into your meals before they spoil. It would be great if you have a week meal planned out, reuse some of the ingredients that you can’t just buy ONE unit, then you would save more compared to eating out alone.
So you have two choice, cook for more than one, or don’t cook chinese, indian, italian and greek in the same week 😉
Anyway, one of the days, I came across Food52’s site and ding!!! I saw this recipe for a 20-minute fresh tomato soup with grilled cheese toast.
Believe it or not, I’ve not had tomato soup, unless minestrone soup counts as that but just pure tomato…. hrm… nope. So I was quite intrigued by it, plus it was easy to make. I just need to buy …….. tomato! and I already have the rest of the things at home, so, bingo! It’s cheap, kinda healthy and easy to make (did I just say that twice already?) Plus, it’s the perfect comfort TV food without guilt. OKAY I’m not going to say the cheese toast wasn’t that tiny bit guilty but come’on!! It’s Pont L’eveque which I bought from Bastille Market in Paris (for only 6.80 euro for 400g) As for basil, I have them growing in my garden. You don’t know, but the feeling of having to cut or pick your own fresh herbs from your own garden is like a …….. moment of glory, a moment of satisfactory, contentment, however you call it. It’s just different. I urge you to get your green fingers going (I don’t even have green fingers but I think basil plants are quite easy to grow so give it a try.
- 20g softened butter
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 2-3 plum tomatoes (I use very ripe local tomatoes) quartered
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 medium garlic clove, halved
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- White wine vinegar to taste
- 2 1 inch-thick slices white sandwich bread
- few slices of cheese
- fresh basil leaves and baby radish for garnishing
- In a medium saucepan, heat half of butter and the tomato paste over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring until the butter is foamy and the tomato paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, sugar, half a garlic clove, and 1 cup water or vegetable stock. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and rapidly simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken apart.
- While the soup simmers, make the sandwiches: Rub the inside of the bread slices with the cut side of the remaining garlic clove. Stack the cheese on top and a basil leaf and and sandwich it with the remaining bread slice (garlic-rubbed sides of all bread slices should be facing the cheese).
- Spread the exposed side of the bread slices with the remaining butter. Add the sandwiches to the hot pan and place a second, heavy skillet over the top or press down with a spatula.
- Fry the sandwiches, turning once, until the cheese is melted and the outside of the sandwiches are crispy, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the thyme stems from the cooked tomato soup. Transfer the tomato soup to a blender and purée until smooth. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Garnish with sliced baby radishes, a swirl of olive oil and basil leaves.
- Serve the soup in bowls, each accompanied with half of a sandwich.
Yummmmy indeed!! I think I have grown an appreciation for soups so I’m going to explore more of it next time. I’m thinking clam chowder, mushroom soups and bisque! I’m not going to lie, this wasn’t just my dinner. I had an omelette at the side after this soup. But after the omelette, I was full already! So sometimes it’s good to eat less meat. There are many ways that we can all eat more vegs, i think soups are just a good way to incorporate more greens into our daily diet.
2 thoughts on “Fresh tomato soup with grilled cheese toast”
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Can I just omit the white wine vinegar? Don’t want to buy a whole bottle for a single recipe 😛
Choi Yen,
Yup you can.