Fire-roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Eggplant and Havarti Sandwiches

There is something very soothing about tomato soup. It's simple and straight-forward.  Satisfying, yet at the same time, light.

A few weeks ago it finally turned nippy where I live, and "comfort food" sounded, well, comforting. I had a hankering for tomato soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches with roasted eggplant sounded like it needed to go with it.

But I wanted a tomato soup with a little more assertive flavor so I decided to use fire-roasted tomatoes instead of regular ones. I was not disappointed!

Here’s what you’ll need for

Fire-roasted Tomato Basil Soup

2 Tbsp. butter or ghee
1 onion, diced
2 pint-sized cans of diced organic fire-roasted tomatoes (I like the ones from Muir Glen)
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth (preferably home-made)
salt, to taste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (about 15-20 leaves)
2 cups heavy cream
sour cream (optional)

Melt butter in a 2-3 qt saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until they turn translucent. Add tomatoes and broth, cover, raise heat, and bring to a boil

When boiling, reduce heat to medium, uncover, add salt, balsamic and honey. Stir. Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Just before serving, remove from heat and add basil and cream. Blend soup with an immersion blender (or by transferring to a blender, being sure to allow soup to cool before blending!).

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!

So the soup is good, but wait until you try these babies!

Grilled Cheese on Sourdough

Baked Eggplant

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= Grilled Eggplant and Havarti Sandwiches

Now, before you read below and think this is too much trouble, let me tell you that yes, making these sandwiches is a little more work than your usual grilled cheese, but let me also tell you that it’s totally worth it. If you don’t like eggplant, you can omit it and just go with the red peppers. If you have the wherewithal to make your own, do so by roasting them over a grill or in the oven so that they impart that natural smoky flavor that sends these sandwiches over the edge! But you can just buy fire-roasted red peppers in a jar if you are short on time.

Here’s what you’ll need for your sandwiches:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper as needed
1/2 inch sliced eggplant
bread for your sandwiches (I use sourdough)
sliced Havarti cheese
1/4 inch thick slices of red onion, optional
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips, optional

Heat the broiler.

In a medium bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper together. Brush onto the eggplant slices, reserving the extra. Place eggplant on broiling rack and broil 6-7 minutes per side or until lightly golden.  While those are broiling, sauté your onion in a little olive oil until it reaches your desired doneness. I don’t like my onions raw anymore but if you like them raw, leave them "au natural”.

While your onions are cooking, spoon the remaining oil/vinegar mixture on one side of your bread and toast under the broiler until lightly golden, about 45 seconds.

Top one slice of bread with a slice of eggplant, a piece of roasted red pepper, a little salt and pepper if you like, 1-2 slices cheese and an onion slice and then the other slice of toast, and grill as you normally would a grilled cheese sandwich, heating until the cheese is melted through.

(If you don’t want to go through all this, omit the peppers and onions and just brush your eggplant slices with some EVOO, salt and pepper and a little balsamic vinegar and bake them in the oven, turning once. Add your cheese and grill as usual).

This is a wonderful combination of soup and sandwich, perfect for lunch or a light supper with a small green salad on the side. Enjoy them together and be toasty warm tonight!

Roasted Cauliflower with Chermoula

Tomatillo Salsa

I have to admit I love any sauce that’s green. I don’t know what it is, but I'll take green tomatillo salsa over regular salsa, pesto sauce over marinara, and any herb sauce over a cream sauce, any day of the week. I have a thing for green, I guess!

One green sauce I make on occasion is called Chermoula, an intensely herbal, slightly spicy sauce used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. While regional differences will dictate the sauce's ingredients, it's usually garlic and coriander that are on the top of the list. Other versions can include chili peppers or black pepper. Chermoula is usually served with fish or seafood but can also be added to other meats or vegetables. Indeed, Chermoula makes the perfect foil for the subtle cauliflower. 

Pesto!

For this recipe, we’re going to blanch the cauliflower first and then roast it.

Here's what you need:

Salt

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Chermoula (see below)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and the cauliflower. Blanch 2 minutes and transfer to a colander to drain. Blot dry. Heat the oven to 400. Toss the cauliflower with the EVOO and salt it to your liking. Bake 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned. Serve hot, with the chermoula.

Now for the Chermoula:

1-1/3 cups fresh cilantro

2/3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley

3-4 cloves garlic

salt

5 Tbsp EVOO

2 tsp cumin, ground

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

This is easily made in a food processor. Add the herbs first, pulse, and then add the garlic, salt and oil. Pulse again. Then add all the spices and lemon juice, run the processor for about 30-45 seconds and  if it looks like it needs a little more, pulse again until everything's nice and smooth. You're done!

Chermoula

I usually serve the roasted cauliflower with a white fish because Chermoula really is good on both. I've tried it over shrimp before and it was delicious. You could also serve it with chicken or tofu or do an assortment of veggies and dribble the sauce over all of the them. 

You could put the sauce on any number of things and I'm certain it would all be good. That's what's great about allowing yourself to be creative - you never know what you'll discover that strikes your fancy.

Go Green!