Recipe: Creamy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Chef Wesley Roderick
·2 min read

It's a classic dinner duo: soup and sandwich. We're going to show you how to make the best tomato soup, plus a great grilled cheese. Both recipes were shared by Chef Wesley Roderick, owner of Supernatural Food & Wine in downtown Tampa.

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Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tbsp butter (unsalted)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tbsp chili (Chef Wesley prefers Aleppo-variety Silk Chili Flakes)

  • 1½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

  • 2 tbsp kosher salt

  • 1½ cups white onion, diced fine

  • 2 bunches fresh basil, leaves separated from stems and stems smashed with side of knife

  • 2 x 28 oz cans ground tomatoes (Italian)

  • 3 tsp sugar

  • 2 cups heavy cream or half and half

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Warm sauce pot over medium/low heat. Add the olive oil and butter to pan.

Add garlic, chili, black pepper and salt, then sauté until aromatic.

Add onion and smashed basil stems. Cook until soft and cooked through (not browned).

Add tomato, cover and let simmer for 15–20 minutes.

Uncover, remove basil stems then add basil leaves, sugar and stir.

Immediately pull pot off heat.

Warm heavy cream (or half and half) then add directly to soup.

Use immersion blender to mix until smooth. Strain (or not) to your preference.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with basil sprigs & fresh olive oil.

Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

  • 4 slices sourdough bread (thick sliced)

  • 4 tbsp butter, unsalted

  • 1½ cups aged Gruyère cheese, grated

  • 1½ cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 °F.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan or microwave.

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium/low heat.

Brush one side of two pieces of bread and place them, buttered side down, in sauté pan.

Divide cheese among the bread and then top with remaining bread.

Brush top slices of bread with remaining butter.

Let brown for 2–3 minutes, then flip and let brown for 1 minute longer.

Place pan in warmed oven for 3–5 minutes until Grilled Cheese is fully warmed through.

Remove from pan, cut in half on bias and enjoy.

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