Tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich - Supa de rosii cu sandvich de branza topita

Everybody must have a different recipe for tomato soup, with or without cream, and different ingredients, and I could certainly say that I have never made tomato soup twice the same, because every time I use whatever I find in my fridge. You could always add zucchini, even grilled corn to it, more carrots.... Look only how wonderful Cristina’s carrot and tomato soup with ricotta dumplings looks, and I still haven’t made it, although it waits on my list for months now.

Every time I eat (or only just think of) tomato soup, I remember the ones made by my mom and my grandma (Maia) in summertime, served cold, when you were melting in the heat and feel that you couldn’t possibly eat anything but fruits and icecream. This soup smells like summer as much as cherries smell like June and the summer holiday starting soon. At least for me it does.

This time I made it without any rice or pasta, like my mom and grandma make it sometime. We ate it with a grilled cheese sandwich, as we learnt to like since we live here. Because it is not yet the season for sweet tasty tomatoes, I used whole canned tomatoes and diced canned tomatoes. Next time, I am thinking to roast some Roma tomatoes and see if they will make it better.

Ingredients:

- one medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots and one parsnip, grated

- one stalk celery chopped

- one 28 oz. can whole tomatoes (which I mashed- chopped before adding them to the soup)

- one 14.5 can diced tomatoes

- one quart chicken broth ( you could substitute vegetable or beef)

- one tablespoon sugar

I sauteed the onion, carrot, parsnip and celery, until softened, then added the broth and all the tomatoes, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. I added the sugar to cut the acidity from the tomatoes, but you can omit it or add more, as you like.

I let the soup cool down for a while, and working in batches, I put half of it in the blender and pureed it, then the other half, poured it back in the pot and brought it once more to a boil. I made the sandwich with Provolone and Muenster, on the electric grill, long enough to get the cheese melted and some grill marks on the wheat bread. But any panini made on the grill, heavy skillet or grill would do.
On top is a little bit of sour cream and basil. You could always add cream or sour cream, chopped basil or other herbs to the soup. It is refreshing, light and tasty.

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Supa de rosii cu sandwich de branza topita la grill

Fiecare are o reteta de supa de rosii, iar eu pot spune cu sigurantza ca nu am facut-o de doua ori la fel, pentru ca de fiecare data am adaugat alte legume si zarzavaturi, in functie de ce aveam prin frigider. Cat de minunat arata supa Cristei cu morcovi si rosii cu galusti de urda, pe care tot nu am reusit sa o fac, desi e pe lista de cateva luni.
De fiecare data cand mananc supa de rosii imi aduc aminte de cele facute de mama si de bunica mea, servite reci, vara, cand simteai ca te topesti de caldura si nu ti-era foame mai deloc. Pentru mine supa asta miroase a vara la fel de mult cum miros ciresele a Iunie si a vacanta care incepe curand. Cel putin pentru mine.
De data asta am facut-o fara orez sau paste, cum faceau cateodata mama si maia mea, pentru ca am servit-o cu sandwich de branza pus pe grill, cum am invatat sa mancam de cand ne-am aciuit pe aici. Nefiind sezonul pt. rosii dulci si gustoase ( pe care nu le gasesti intotdeauna nici macar vara), am facut supa din rosii intregi conservate.

Ingrediente:

- o ceapa medie tocata
- 2 morcovi si un pastarnac rasi pe razatoarea mare
- o tija de telina tocata
- o cutie de 900g rosii intregi ( pe care le-am tocat inainte de a le pune in supa)
- o cutie de rosii tocate in suc de rosii de 450g
- un litru supa de pui si legume
- o lingura de zahar

Am calit cateva minute ceapa, morcovul, pastranacul si telina, cat sa se moaie putin, apoi am adaugat zeama de supa si toate rosiile, si am lasat sa fiarba cca 30 minute. Am pus si lingurita de zahar, ca sa taie din aciditatea rosiilor, dar se poate omite sau se poate pune mai mult, dupa gustul fiecaruia.

Cand s-a racit putin, am pus jumatate din supa in blender si am facut-o crema, apoi restul, dupa care inapoi in oala si am lasat-o sa mai dea un clocot.

Intre timp am uns doua felii de paine de secara cu unt numai pe o parte, si am facut sandwich cu doua felii de branza, eu am avut provolone si muenster, pastrand partea unsa cu unt in exterior. Am pus sandwichul pe grill mai putin de un minut, cat sa se topeasca branza si sa prinda painea niste dungi frumoase. Se poate face absolut perfect si intr-o tigaie neaderenta, fara alta grasime decat untul de pe felii, si se tine aproape un minut pe fiecare parte.

Am decorat cu putina smantana pusa cu spritzul si o frunza de busuioc, si am servit-o cu sandvich-ul.