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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Favorite Fall Recipes

While we are in the midst of trying to sell the apartment, I’ve been falling back on old favorites. Last night, I made a version of this Puglian specialty, orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage and every time I make it, it brings me back to a night in southern Puglia. The meatiness of the sausage is comforting and warm on a cold fall night.

Fall always means lasagna time for me…I love making it for company too, because I can put it in the oven when they come over and spend time with people, rather than in the kitchen. My favorites for fall are mushroom and roasted carrot and butternut squash.

My favorite fall fruits are definitely pears, and I love to make crostatas with pears and gorgonzola this time of year. I make big batches of dough and freeze them for later, so I can just defrost and put together the filling when I’m running low on time.

Cold weather makes me really crave a good Sunday breakfast, and there’s no better breakfast than egg and pancetta sandwiches on homemade sage biscuits. I still have a couple of these tucked away in the freezer, and I can’t wait to have one this Sunday.

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Faux Milanos

I found this recipe on Serious Eats and I couldn’t wait to try it because I love milanos. I know, they’re probably not that good for you and have tons of things in them that I can’t pronounce, but I love them. And that’s even more reason to try this recipe. It was also the first time I used my new kitchen scale, which was rather exciting.

Unfortunately, the texture wasn’t exactly the same. No nice little crunch, but the flavor was pretty similar. If you’re not expecting them to taste like milanos, they’re totally yummy. SO, let’s just call them sandwich cookies. They’re quite tasty and the chocolate filling hardens up nicely so they’re not too messy. Try them out. Just don’t expect them to taste exactly like milanos.

Faux Milanos

3/4 ounce cornstarch

8 ounces flour

4 ounces butter

3 1/2 ounces sugar

2 ounces corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

14 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 ounce powdered milk

1 egg and 2 extra whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

2 ounces cream

pinch of salt

Combine the corn starch and flour in a bowl. With a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter, salt, baking soda, powdered milk, and half the vanilla extract. Mix for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and combine. Add half the dry ingredients and combine. Add one of the egg whites and combine.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and combine. Add the remaining egg white and combine. Transfer to a piping bag (or a ziploc with the corner cut off).

Pipe the dough into 1/2 inch wide, 2 inch long cookies. They will work best if you can make it as thin as possible, so keep the tip close to the cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees or until they start to brown. Let cool.

Melt the chocolate with the cream and remaining vanilla extract and pinch of salt in a double boiler or just in a bowl (I sometimes even use the microwave). You can pipe the chocolate onto the flat side of a cookie or just spoon it carefully on. Place another cookie on top, making sure to match them for size. Let them cool at room temperature or in the fridge until the chocolate hardens.

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Barbeque Pulled Chicken Sandwich

I made so much barbeque chicken, that I inevitably had a little leftover and decided that I wanted to make some pulled chicken with it. I had some tasty little brioche sliders leftover from burgers, and I added on some homemade pickles for a little crunch. I used some more of the homemade BBQ sauce and it was a perfect Sunday lunch.

Pulled Chicken Sandwich

1 leftover barbequed chicken breast

3 tablespoons additional BBQ sauce

Juice of half a lime

2 slider buns, preferably brioche

pickles or any other favorite topping

Shred the chicken with two forks into pieces and combine with the extra sauce and lime juice. Heat in a pan until warm and then spoon onto bun. Add pickles and enjoy!

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Sage Biscuits and Fried Egg Sandwiches

I’ve never been all that excited by biscuits. I think it’s because most of the time, they turn out dry and somewhat tasteless if you get them at diners or restaurants. And don’t even get me started on the fast food version. But, now that I know how good these are, I’ll be stocking my freezer with loads of them. They bake up straight from the freezer and they are so light and flaky that they’re actually best all on their own. But that didn’t stop me from trying a fried egg sandwich with pancetta and cheddar.

Oh, and I should mention that once again this recipe came from the Flour Bakery cookbook. Still working my way through it and enjoying everything.

Sage Biscuits

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup cold buttermilk

1/2 cup cold heavy cream

1 cold egg

1 tablespoon chopped sage

1 tablespoon chopped scallions

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Scatter the butter pieces in and squeeze between your fingers so that they come together with the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix, you don’t want it to warm up either. The butter should still be in pea-sized pieces.

In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, cream, egg, sage, and scallion together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while  mixing with a handmixer, just until it comes together.

Gather the dough together and roll around in the bowl to pick up any loose flour. Pour out onto a floured surface and pat into a 1″ thickness. Cut out with a 3″ round cutter. Bring together the scraps until you’ve used all the dough. This should make 8 biscuits. If you want to freeze them, wrap them individually in plastic wrap now.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or 45 minutes if they were frozen.

I love a fried egg sandwich with pancetta, but you can definitely substitute your favorite bacon. I also am partial to cheddar or asiago, but use whatever cheese you like best as well.

Fried Egg Sandwich

1 biscuit

1 egg

2 pieces pancetta or bacon

handful of arugula

2 basil leaves

a couple slices of cheese or some grated cheese to taste

Fry up the bacon or pancetta in a frying pan until crispy. Remove to a paper towel. Cook the egg in the rendered bacon fat and season with salt and pepper. I don’t usually flip my eggs because I like them runny, but I do baste them with the extra oil/fat in the pan. Layer the cheese, pancetta, and arugula on the bottom and place the egg on top of the cheese so it starts to melt. Top with a couple basil leaves and the top of your biscuit and dig in!

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