Classic Combination: Soup and Sandwich

While flipping through Jamie Oliver's cookbook, my eye caught this beautiful picture of this grilled vegetable, mozzarella, and pesto sandwich. I may have drooled on the page it looked so good. Needless to say, we made this sandwich. To accompany the sandwich, we made a really simple, yet really delicious tomato soup. The soup was creamy with a nice little twang. This soup and sandwich meal was perfect for the cold, rainy days we've been having lately.


Ciabatta Sandwich of Grilled Vegetables with Pesto and Mozzarella (Jamie's Dinners, Jamie Oliver)

[We, unfortunately, didn't have the pesto with the sandwich. We were about to make it, but as I pulled out the basil from the fridge, I realized that it was dry and bitter. So, we improvised and put some sweet jalapeno jelly on the sandwich instead.]

This sandwich is good for using up grilled veg like asparagus, zucchini, fennel and eggplant-wonderful just griddled on a griddle pan and dressed with some good olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper and fresh herbs. I keep any leftovers, stuff them into a chunk of ciabatta smeared with 1 Tbs. of pesto and add a little torn-up mozzarella. You could also add some grated Parmesan. Slices of prosciutto or grilled chicken pieces go really well too.

Wrap your sandwich up tightly in wax paper and aluminum foil before putting it i your lunchbox. Usually some juices come out of the mozzarella, so give the sandwich a good press down when you've finished making it to let the bread soak up the moisture and actually become more tasty because of it. When I eat this sandwich, I peel off the paper and foil from one side and then keep peeling back as I eat. This way I don't get juice all over myself.


Cream of Tomato Soup (Cooking Light, January-February 2007)

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup chopped onion and 3 minced garlic cloves, saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes, 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Place in a blender; process until smooth. Return tomato mixture to pan. Stir in 3/4 cup half-and-half; cook until thoroughly heated.