Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese - All Grown Up

Last Year's Post: Moroccan-Spiced Chicken with Roasted Squash

Two Years Ago:  Lemon-Roasted Halibut with Lentils and Tomatoes

We had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches umpteen times as kids - canned soup and water, plus white bread and pasteurized cheese slices.  Easy, quick, cheap, and something every kid will eat.  So when I came across these recipes I had to laugh - it was like childhood all over again except at warp speed.  I was first attracted to the homemade fresh cucumber pickles on the toasted cheese sandwiches - both the fact that they're freshly made, and that they're on a cheese sandwich in the first place.  The recipe suggested that the sandwiches go great with tomato soup, so I dug out my favorite roasted tomato soup recipe and voila!  Third grade lunch, all grown up.

One of the interesting things about the tomato soup recipe is that you can make it year-round with whatever plum tomatoes you find in the produce section because they're roasted to bring out their flavors, not to mention combined with chicken broth, tomato paste, red wine and a touch of cream.  How can you go wrong? It's a full-bodied, slightly chunky tomato soup that clearly has never seen the inside of a can.  I always use low-sodium products whenever possible, and they make a big difference in the sodium level of this recipe because chicken broth and tomato paste are both high in sodium if you use the regular products.  If you use low sodium products you'll need to add a little salt at the end but that's OK.  Definitely don't add salt until you taste the soup either way.

The cheese sandwich is equally interesting - dark rye (or pumpernickel) bread, sharp white cheddar cheese, mustard, and those homemade pickles.  The fresh cucumber pickles could also be served on any roast beef or pastrami sandwich (even burgers or brats) and are worth printing the recipe in and of themselves - fresh cucumbers briefly marinated in white wine vinegar, sugar, horseradish, Dijon, and fresh dill. 

Together with the dark rye and white cheese they have a Scandinavian feel.

We recently had this combination on a chilly, rainy day and really enjoyed the flavors.  If you made the soup in advance it would be a great and fast weeknight meal.

* * click here for a printable Roasted Tomato Soup recipe * *

Roasted Tomato Soup

Serves 4

Note: because the tomatoes are roasted to bring out the flavors, this recipe can be made at any time of the year.

1.5 lbs fresh plum tomatoes
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
¼ teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup dry red wine
¼ cup heavy cream
1/4 cup low sodium tomato paste
Sugar to taste (approx 2 teaspoons, depending on the acidity of the tomatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste (approx 1 teaspoon salt if using low sodium tomato paste and low sodium chicken broth)


Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Core tomatoes and halve lengthwise. Place cut side down on a shallow baking sheet with sides and brush generously with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until the edges are charred, about 20 minutes. Scrape tomatoes, oil and herbs from pan into a food processor and process until not quite smooth.

In a saucepan, cook onion in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in roasted tomato puree, broth, and wine, then whisk in tomato paste. Add the cream while whisking. Taste and add sugar if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste and bring soup to a simmer. Thin with additional chicken broth if desired.

* * click here for a printable Cheese Sandwich and Pickles recipe * *

Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches with Fresh Cucumber Pickles

Makes 4 sandwiches

Note: these cucumber pickles would also be great on ham or roast beef sandwiches, or burgers and brats.

½ English cucumber, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
4 slices dark rye or pumpernickel bread
4 slices sharp white cheddar cheese
Butter and Dijon mustard


Place cucumber slices in a strainer; sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat well. Let stand for 15 minutes, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine vinegar, sugar, dill, 1 teaspoon mustard, and horseradish in mixing bowl. Add cucumber slices and toss to coat. Let cucumbers stand a minimum of five minutes, or cover and chill up to one day. Cucumbers will softer slightly as they marinate.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with Dijon. Heat 2 teaspoons of butter in a large nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat. Add bread, mustard side up, and top each slice with a slice of cheese. Toast until cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown and crisp on the bottom.

Divide sandwiches among four serving plates, top with cucumbers, and serve.

Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Horseradish Dipping Sauce

Last Year's Post: Pesto Pasta with Edamame, Spinach and Almonds

This is a twist on the classic shrimp cocktail, using grilled shrimp instead of poached and substituting a cucumber horseradish sauce for the usual cocktail sauce.  Grilled shrimp are a great summer food (think 4th of July or Father's Day) that you can choose to make spicy or not by adding a seasoning blend prior to grilling or just keeping it simple with olive oil, salt and pepper.  You can make the cucumber sauce milder or hotter by varying the amount of horseradish to balance and complement the spice level you choose for the shrimp.  We grilled the shrimp with just oil, salt and pepper so I added a considerable amount of horseradish to the sauce, but I think it would be just as good to add a spicy seasoning blend to the shrimp and let the cool cucumber sauce be the counterpoint without any horseradish at all.  You can puree the sauce or leave it slightly chunky as I did here.  It would also be fun to serve the shrimp with both the cucumber sauce and regular cocktail sauce and let people choose their favorite.  Best of all, grilled shrimp are really low in calories.

Served in a mound like this, people just devour shrimp.  As part of my career I've attended quite a few hosted trade show parties and the shrimp are always the first to disappear.  I've found the U16-20 sized shrimp are perfect - they're big enough to be impressive but not so big that they require two bites, which might tempt people to double dip.  If you've ever wondered, "U counts" refer to the number of shrimp in a pound, which translates to their size.  "U16-20" means there will be 16 to 20 shrimp per pound.  I've seen shrimp as large as U5-7 and as small as U30-50.  Larger shrimp are always more expensive.  Here's a tip - for this recipe I compared the price of U16-20 shrimp in a bag in the freezer department to the same size in the glass-front seafood case and found the frozen shrimp to cost a dollar or two less.  Since shrimp thaw in a few minutes under running water, they're a better value frozen.  If you don't need a full bag you can always save the rest for another meal. 

You can also save a little more if you buy shrimp in the shells and peel and devein them yourself.  Pulling little veins out of shrimp is not my favorite activity so I buy them peeled and deveined.  Some people think shrimp have more flavor if they're grilled in the shell and then peeled, but I've tried them both ways and don't think there's much difference in the taste.  Plus, I like the way they look and taste when they come in direct contact with the grate and they're much easier to season or marinate in advance when peeled.  When grilling shrimp, use two skewers instead of one for each row of shrimp.  (I wish I had thought of photographing this step, but it's such second nature to me that I forgot.)  It helps you flip the shrimp over without them spinning around. 

One last thought - horseradish comes in two different styles, creamy and what might be labeled just simply "horseradish" or "extra hot".  The creamy version has already been blended with a mayonnaise-type base so it's good for sandwiches but not right for this type of recipe where you're going to add it to a sauce.  Use regular horseradish instead, which is slightly darker in color and the texture looks like it was grated from horseradish root.  It's stronger than the creamy variety as you would expect, so add it a little at a time and taste as you go.  We found we used the entire 3 tablespoons and it wasn't all that hot, I guess because the heat was tempered by the other cooling ingredients.  Or as I mentioned, leave it out entirely and really crank up the spiciness of the shrimp.  Your choice.

printable recipe

Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Horseradish Sauce

Serves 4-6

For the sauce:

1 cup shredded unpeeled English cucumber

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt (not Greek)

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (not creamy style)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

For the shrimp:

1 lb large (U16-20) raw peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen

Olive oil, for brushing

Salt and pepper

Seasoning blend (optional)

Metal or wooden skewers

If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30-60 minutes in advance.

To make the sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl to blend, adding the horseradish one tablespoon at a time and tasting to adjust the heat to your preference.  Season with salt and pepper.  If you prefer, puree in a food processor for a smoother sauce.  May be made ahead; cover and refrigerate.

Pat the thawed shrimp dry and skewer using double skewers per row of shrimp.  Do not crowd the shrimp on the skewers.  Brush each side of the shrimp lightly with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Optionally, season with your favorite seasoning blend.

Preheat a grill to high, then lower the heat to medium.  Grill the shrimp for 2 minutes per side, flipping once.  Remove from the skewers and serve with the dipping sauce.

Smoked Turkey Apple Panini

I love sandwiches, don't you?  For one thing, they're a great excuse to eat potato chips, my all-time guilty addiction.  You may have heard me say I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but chips are my vice.  I can't keep them in the house or they're mysteriously gone within a few days.  Thin tortilla chips are good, but kettle chips are the best.  One of the mental games I play involves choices for my Last Meal (assuming I'm aware it is my last meal and have time to plan, of course).  Various components have changed over time but two that remain constant are potato chips and a lobster tail with lots of melted butter (not margarine, no-no-no!, it has trans fats as my friends Ron and Susie explained to me recently).  Some sort of cheese would have to be part of the meal also.

Sorry, back to sandwiches.  I particularly like this recipe for several reasons.  First, it tastes wonderful.  Second, it has a combination of textures (crunchy bread, gooey cheese(!), crisp apple, tender turkey) that's very appealing.  Third, heating the sandwich highlights the horseradish flavor without it becoming too strong.  And finally, it has a surprising combination of ingredients which makes it interesting.  When was the last time you had cabbage and apple in your sandwich?  It's kind of like a Reuben gone wild. 

It's apple time of the year, so simply choose your favorite for this sandwich.  I've never understood why so many recipes will specify a type of apple, especially if it doesn't have to cook down to a particular texture.  I've tried crisp sweet and tart apples in this sandwich with equal success - it all boils down to personal preference.

I tried heating the sandwiches two different ways - on a panini press, and wrapped in foil in the oven.  The foil-wrapped version was very good but was missing the crunch of the grilled bread.  It also didn't get quite as hot in the interior so the horseradish was more subtle.  Who knew there would be such a difference from two heating methods?  The one big advantage of heating them in the oven, however, is that you can do  them all at the same time.  I used that method to prepare a batch of these sandwiches at a deck-cleaning "party" last spring.  They were gone quickly!

This is so easy it's not really even a recipe, it's more just an ingredient list and assembly instructions.


** click here for a printable recipe version **

Smoked Turkey Apple Panini
Serves 4

1/3 cup sour cream (light works fine)
¼ cup horseradish
8 slices caraway rye bread
8 oz thinly sliced deli smoked turkey
6 ounces thinly sliced plain Havarti cheese
½ cup thinly sliced cabbage (bagged coleslaw mix works great)
1 apple
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


Combine the sour cream and horseradish thoroughly.  Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Preheat a Panini press, a griddle or a frying pan. (Or see below for oven heating instructions)

Core the apple and cut into the thinnest rounds possible.  Alternately (if you don’t have an apple corer) cut the apple into thin rounds and then cut the core out of each with a knife.  Cut each round in half.  In a small bowl toss the apple slices with the lemon juice to prevent browning. 

Place the bread slices on a work surface and spread each with horseradish sauce. On half the bread slices, layer (in order) the smoked turkey, apple slices, cheese, and cabbage.  Place the remaining bread slices on top.

Cook the sandwiches on the Panini press or griddle for about 5 minutes.  If using a frying pan you will probably want to add some margarine unless the pan is non-stick.  Serve hot. 

To heat in the oven, wrap each sandwich in foil and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.



Assembled through apple layer

Fully assembled and ready to cook