Roasted Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

We survived the hurricane without any damage beyond getting a little stir-crazy, so I have to feel pretty grateful. We didn’t lose power or have any terrible flooding, but all we could do for days was watch the damage on TV. Of course, one of my first plans of action was to get to work on hurricane food.

Naturally, my first inclination was for mac & cheese, which was so delicious that it was gone before I could take pictures. For those curious, my mac & cheese is basically my tuna noodle casserole without the tuna. Next up, tomato soup and grilled cheese. I had some cherry tomatoes that were ready to be roasted, and combined them with some canned tomatoes to round out the soup. Perfect cold, rainy weather food. And it’s always a good time for a grilled cheese.

Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

1 pint cherry tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

12 sprigs thyme

1/2 can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed or pureed

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 slices whole grain bread

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

thin slices apple, a tablespoon apricot or fig jam, etc (optional)

Roast the cherry tomatoes with half the olive oil and half the thyme at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in the remaining olive oil for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the tomato paste and allow to rust for another minute or two. Add the roasted tomatoes, canned tomatoes, sugar, and wine. Allow to cook together for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the grilled cheese. You may choose to puree the soup with a stick blender, but we wanted it chunky this time.

Toast the bread in a pan with olive oil or in a toaster until light brown. Add the cheese and any toppings you may like. Cook in a saute pan with a little olive oil or butter until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted. Make sure to flip halfway through and a lid can sometimes help the cheese to melt. Use medium heat so that the bread does not burn before the cheese has finish melting. Allow to cool a few minutes before cutting, so that the cheese does not run out.

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Summery Grilled Corn Linguine

We’ve been having corn all summer, but this was the first time I decided to put some into a pasta dish. We took some leftover grilled corn and cut it off the cob, combined it with sweet end-of-summer cherry tomatoes and anchovies, and it was a perfect weekend lunch. The sweet corn and tomatoes combined with the salty bite of anchovies made the perfect complement to a light salad.

Grilled Corn Linguine

1/2 box linguine fine or your favorite long pasta

2 ears of corn, grilled in their husks, cut off the cob

2 cups cherry tomatoes

6 anchovies

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water a minute less than the package instructions. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil with the anchovies for 2 minutes. The anchovies will start to break up and the onion will soften. Add the corn and tomatoes and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add a little pasta cooking water. Add the linguine and cook for the final minute together.  Add the parmesan and the olive oil and toss to combine.

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Grilled Cheese with Bacon Jam and Apples

There’s nothing I like more than a grilled cheese. I like every kind, from the traditional diner cheddar on white bread to the fanciest, wild mushroom truffled grilled cheese. When I saw a recipe for bacon jam, I immediately thought that would make a great grilled cheese– everything’s better with bacon and this jam has a nice sweetness from the caramelized onions. You can use it as a condiment for many things, I’m already thinking about eggs and of course, egg sandwiches. I planned to make this with sliced peaches when they are in season, but for now I’m using apples.

Grilled Cheese with Peaches (Apples) and Bacon Jam

2 1/2-3/4 inch slices (extra thick) of good pullman loaf or brioche

2 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter

2 half inch thick pieces of Taleggio or other semi-soft cheese

4 quarter-inch thick slices fresh peach (or apple out of peach season)

Handful of spinach or arugula leaves

2 tablespoons bacon jam (below)

Butter both sides of each slice of bread and lightly toast on a grill or griddle for 2-3 minutes until it just starts to develop color. Spread the bacon jam on one slice and layer the peach or apple slices and the cheese slices on top. Top with the other slice.

Grill for 5 minutes on each side (depending on grill heat) until the cheese starts to melt and the peaches are warmed through. Add the spinach or arugula after you remove from the heat.

Bacon Jam

1/2 pound thick cut appplewood smoked bacon, chopped into 1/4 inch slices

1 onion, minced

3 garlic gloves, minced

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons bourbon

3 tablespoons coffee, freshly brewed

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 cup water, as needed

salt and pepper to taste

Render the bacon until most of the fat has been rendered and can be drained off. Remove to a paper towel, leaving a tablespoon of bacon fat. Saute the onions in the bacon fat until they have caramelized, about 12-15 minutes. Add the garlic and stir through. (Garlic is added later so that it doesn’t burn) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low heat for about an hour, adding water as necessary.

 

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Grilled Nectarines with Honey

Grilled peaches and nectarines are a staple dessert around the apartment, particularly because we are already grilling and it takes no time or energy to throw a couple on after dinner’s done. Add some honey and maybe some amaretti and it’s a perfect summer dessert. You can even add some vanilla ice cream if you want to go all-out. I sometimes add some mint leaves to the honey, which is also a nice touch if you don’t do the amaretti.

Grilled Nectarines with Honey

2 nectarines (or peaches) halved

1 tablespoon honey

1 amaretti cookie, crumbled (optional)

Put the halved fruit on a hot, oiled grill (or grill pan) and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they start to show grill marks. You aren’t trying to cook them through, just give them grill marks and warm them up. Remove to a plate and drizzle the honey over the top. Sprinkle the amaretti on top if you are using them.

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Chili Rubbed Shrimp and Grilled Corn with Manchego and Lime

I don’t make spicy food that often, but I was craving some spicy grilled shrimp the other night. I had also picked up some fresh corn from the farmers market, but I didn’t want to do boring old corn on the cob. I usually do an Italian spin on corn salad or even a cheesy version, but I thought with the spicy shrimp, this Spanish/Mexican version would work well. It was really DELICIOUS.

Chili Rubbed Shrimp

1 pound cleaned shrimp

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon spanish pimenton (can be left out)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne chili powder

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all the spices together and dredge the shrimp in them to coat. Add the olive oil and stir. Marinate for an hour. Put on a hot grill or grill pan and flip after 3 minutes or until they start to curl up. 1 minute on the other side and they are done.

The corn can be made ahead of time and mixed together at room temperature.

Grilled Corn with Manchego and Lime

3 ears of corn in the husk

1 cup manchego, grated

2 limes, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Grill the corn for 15-20 minutes, or you can roast them at 425 degrees. Let the corn cool and then remove from the cobs. You can throw the cobs out or reserve them for another use.

Saute the corn in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and red pepper flakes. Add the butter and remove from the heat once it’s melted.

Add remaining olive oil, lime zest and juice, honey, and chives. Let cool and add manchego.

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Galician Grilled Octopus

On a trip to Galicia, Spain, I had grilled octopus almost every day and realized I actually like it. It’s even better with some roasted potatoes with paprika. Cast iron gives it a great char and takes away the chewiness that I always associated with octopus. But there’s no getting over the fact that it really is still a weird sea creature….

Galician Grilled Octopus

1 octopus, cleaned

1 bay leaf

1 lemon

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

Put the octopus is a pot of water to cover with the bay leaf and half the lemon (squeeze the juice into the water and throw in the rest). Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, until a knife can be inserted easily, like into a potato.

Cut into pieces and to the olive oil, paprika, and the juice of the other half lemon. This can be done up to a day ahead and let marinate. Then grill the pieces in a pre-heated cast iron pan until they get a char on the outside. Return to the marinade and sprinkle with some parsley to plate.

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Grilled Vegetables with Spicy Tomato Pineapple Sauce

I do the grilled veggies alone all the time, and they’re great that way with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. But sometimes I just want something a little different. So I looked in the fridge to see what I had, and this sauce was the product of leftover tomatoes and pineapple. For a last minute sauce, it’s not bad….although maybe it would be better on some grilled fish?? Obviously you can substitute any vegetables you want, maybe onions or peppers or summer squash.

Grilled Vegetables with Spicy Tomato Pineapple Sauce

1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch slices or strips

1 eggplant, sliced the same

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped or sliced pineapple

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes

hot sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Coat the sliced vegetables in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on a grill pan or on a grill for a couple minutes on each side until they are cooked through. Grill the pineapple for a few minutes each side until there are grill marks but not so long that it gets cooked. Combine in a blender with the tomatoes and some salt and pepper and blend. Drizzle the sauce over the vegetables.

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