Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

I have always been a fan of sandwiches, especially the grilled cheese. Last night I prepared a great take on this with a touch of elegance. For my tomato soup, I added kale and made kale chips, which turned out to be a huge hit with Auden.

The sandwich recipes came from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book.

I had come across this recipe for the kale chips and thought it would be a great addition to the soup.

Kale Chips

Kale

oil

salt and pepper

Pre heat oven to 250 deg. Wash and dry the kale. Then brush with oil to lightly coat both sides. Place on a lined tray. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in oven about 30 minutes, until crisp and dried.

Here is the A-man asking for seconds, and thirds and ....

I made a basic tomato soup and added a handful of diced kale near the end. To serve I topped with the chips and some croutons.

For Auden I made a mushroom toast. Mushrooms are his favorite.

Mushroom Toast

1 - 2 crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 slice of Italian bread

EVOO

salt and pepper

layer the mushrooms on the toast, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.

Cook in a panini machine or grill pan until nicely toasted and the mushrooms cooked.

Grilled Cheese with Marinated Onions and Whole Grain Mustard

1/3 cup EVOO

2 - 3 Tbs white vinegar

2 Tbs salt

1 Tbs pepper

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 slices of bread per sandwich

whole grain mustard

about 1 oz sliced Gruyere per sandwich

Mix the dressing in a small bowl.

Add the onions and marinate at least 20 - 30 minutes.

To assemble the sandwich, start with one slice of bread coat with mustard then a few slices of cheese. Top with some of the marinated onions and more cheese, top the second slice of bread.

Grill the sandwiches in a Panini Machine or on a flat top with a touch of oil.