Smoky Tomato Soup With Mini Grilled Cheese And Bacon Sammies Food

SMOKY TOMATO SOUP WITH MINI GRILLED CHEESE AND BACON SAMMIES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a soup pot over med-high heat; add in the chopped bacon; cook until crisp, 2-3 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crispy bacon to paper towels to drain and reserve for the mini grilled cheese and bacon sammies.
• To the same pot, add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots; season with salt and pepper.
• Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Scoop the veggies into a food processor, add about 1/2 cup chicken stock and the marjoram, and puree until smooth.
• Return the pureed veggies to the pot, place back over med-high heat, and add the remaining chicken stock, crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, sugar, and the smoked paprika; bring up to a bubble, stir in the cream, and keep warm over low heat while you make the sammies.
• Heat some butter in a big skillet over medium heat.
• While the butter is melting, lay 8 of the bread slices on a cutting board.
• Top each one with a slice of cheese, a sprinkle of the reserved bacon, some chives, and another slice of bread.
• Transfer 4 of the mini sammies to the hot skillet and cook until the sandwich is toasted on both sides and the cheese is melted; repeat with the remaining 4 sammies.
• Serve the smoky tomato soup with some popcorn floating on top and the mini grilled cheese and bacon sammies on the side.

HEIRLOOM GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH AND CHUNKY TOMATO BACON SOUP

Steps:

• To make the grilled cheese sandwich: In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Spread a liberal amount of butter mixture on 2 slices of bread. Flip over slices and spread some Dijon mustard on other sides. Place Cheddar cheese on the Dijon side of both slices. Place bacon on top of cheese on 1 slice and sliced tomatoes on top of cheese on other slice. Combine both sides together and place in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook until golden brown and crusty. Flip sandwich and place a weighted cast iron pan on top. Cook until golden brown and cheese has melted. Remove from skillet and serve immediately with tomato soup.
• To make the soup: Puree the crushed tomatoes and set aside. In a heavy stainless steel pot, heat basil olive oil. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add garlic, thyme, chopped basil, bacon, and tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add tomato puree, cream, chicken broth, and salt and sugar, to taste. Bring to a simmer. Pour soup into bowls and garnish with chiffonnade basil. Serve immediately with grilled cheese sandwich.

SMOKED TOMATO AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic Cloves and fresh Thyme together with the Olive Oil and season with a touch of Salt and Pepper.
• Place in a shallow roasting pan and roast in oven for about 20 minutes.
• After add the tomato paste, stir well and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
• Remove the ingredients from the roasting pan and scrape into a medium size stock pot.
• Add Tomato Juice and Chicken/Vegetable stock and simmer soup mix for about 20 minutes on low heat, (if soup looks like it's becoming too thick add a bit of water).
• Puree everything with a until smooth and strain through a semi-fine strainer.
• Pour mixture back into stock pot and return to heat.
• Bring soup to a light simmer and add Sugar, Cream, and Liquid Smoke.
• Season to taste with some Salt and Pepper.
• Place bacon in bottom of bowls and pour soup on top to serve.