Creamy Tomato Soup and Workplace "Grilled" Cheese

Most who know me know about my lifetime ambivalence towards cheese.  It all started when I was four years old and I went into the fridge to reach for a slice of Kraft singles.  I took a bite and bit into a hard piece in the cheese which ultimately disgusted me.  Since that point I have been extremely, extremely picky about which cheeses I will eat.  Ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan are all fine as these were pretty commonplace in the Italian foods I grew up on in New Jersey.  Swiss, cheddar, muenster, no…and do not get me started on brie, blue cheese, gorgonzola  or even cream cheese – the creamier the further I want[ed] it from me.  It really was not until 2009 to 2010 while I lived in Vermont and lived down the street from Grafton Cheese Company that I started to open myself to the possibility of cheese.  I tried so many samples of various sorts of cheddars and gruyeré... Oh gruyeré, my now absolute favorite!   

This brings me to grilled cheese.  A common food among most children and I refused to eat it.  That is until 2011 when Ryan forced me to take a bite of his sandwich.  I resisted at first and finally gave in.  Since then I have made many a-grilled cheeses for myself. 

The other day I made this creamy tomato soup from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. What’s a tomato soup without its partner in crime…the grilled cheese?  These are easy to put together while at home, but I wanted to take the soup and the grilled cheese with me to work. 

My workplace kitchen offers the two appliances: a toaster and a microwave.  I was going to figure out how to make both work for me to make a close enough “grilled cheese”.  Recipe follows the soup.

Creamy  Tomato Soup

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Serves 4 -6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Pinch of ground cloves

2 tablespoons flour

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in puree**

Pinch of baking soda

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water

1 cup milk, plus up to 1/2 cup more as needed

Tomato paste, as needed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the chopped onions and celery. Cook for about five minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and wilted. Add the basil and cloves and cook another minute or two until fragrant, then add the flour. Continue cooking for another two minutes, stirring, and then add the tomatoes, followed by the baking soda and the stock.

Lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes or so. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender, or using a stick blender in the pot, off the heat. Return the soup to the heat and add the milk, stirring to blend. Add more milk or stock if the soup seems too thick. Add a little tomato paste if it needs more tomato flavor. Add some freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste. 

** If you can not find the diced tomatoes in puree as I was not able to, you can add the tomato paste later on in the recipe. 

Workplace “Grilled” Cheese

Two slices of bread of choice

Two slices of cheese of choice

1 tsp butter

Butter one side of one slice of bread morning before heading out the door to the office. 

Stick slices of cheese in a baggy along with the slices of bread.

Put both slices together in one of the toaster slots (butter facing inside).

Place slices of cheese between the two slices of newly toasted bread and microwave for 30 seconds.

Presto! Crispy, buttery, cheesy “grilled” cheese to go along with your tomato soup!