I realize that tomatoes are not in season at the moment so dedicating an entire post to them might seem a tad premature. Last week however, I came across Canadian-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes that smelled of summer soil. The sweet aroma of tomato harvest made me nostalgic for my childhood, as my grandfather had a vast garden filled with various kinds of tomatoes. The sight and smell of these ones brought me back to his garden.
I bought a copious amount -much more than I really needed but they were so incredibly succulent and gorgeous, I truly couldn’t help myself. My little son and I weren’t sure what to do with so many tomatoes. We thought about making tomato sandwiches. We contemplated stuffing them (he wanted rice, I fought for couscous.) We considered a simple tomato salad (with lots of crusty bread for sopping up every last bit of olive oil and vinegar.) But none of it seemed quite right.
But then dear friends, I learned that it was National Grilled Cheese month.
National Grilled Cheese month.
An ode to grilled cheese every day for 30 days?
Why was I just learning about this now?
The choice was obvious. What could be more perfect than grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup? Absolutely nothing.
I recognize that roasted tomato soup with ouzo and smoked paprika sounds rather ‘loopdidah’, but this the simplest soup you will ever make. Its thickness is only a result of the lovely tomato pulp – no cornstarch or flour. And I only added ouzo at the last moment-mainly because I regretted not adding a bulb of fennel to the roasting pan. But here’s what I discovered quite by accident: Ouzo is what takes this soup from ‘pretty good’ to ‘super fantastic.’ It adds that special little something that leaves you desperately wanting to decipher the ingredients. Fennel maybe? Crushed anise seeds? Both? The flavors are so pure and modest and the technique is remarkably simple. Absolutely anybody can make this soup, as its completely foolproof.
I understand that not everyone has ouzo on hand but if you can get your hands on even a tiny little bottle, it’s well worth it. You can roast some fennel with the other vegetables and then add a splash of vodka at the end if you don’t have any but again, get yourself some ouzo if you can.
We made mini grilled cheese sandwiches with applewood smoked cheddar, dates and caramelized red onions. We made plain ones too of course because frankly, nothing tastes as pure and wholesome as traditional grilled cheese sandwiches. I used cookie cutters to cut the bread into little circles and then proceeded with the traditional method of grilling them on the stovetop.
Bite sized anything is ridiculously charming don’t you think? Kids are naturally drawn to tiny versions of main dishes as they are completely fascinated with anything miniature. They held the mini grilled cheese sandwiches like they were porcelain dolls. Careful. Meticulous.
And they ate.
And ate.
And ate.
Tomato soup in little glass mugs and tiny grilled cheese sandwiches. I overheard my daughter calling it a tea party. A tea party with grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup? I would be up for that (and I can think of a few friends who would want to be a part of it too.)
