Serves
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- ½cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1 tomato, diced
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or low-sodium broth
- 2 thyme sprigs
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ciabatta rolls, split
- ½ pound white cheddar cheese, sliced
Procedure
A delicious update to the ultimate comfort pairing that utilizes roasted tomatoes and exchanges grilled cheese for panini.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomato, stock and thyme. Season with salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.
Preheat a panini press. Transfer the soup to a blender, add the cream and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Keep the sun-dried tomato soup warm over moderate heat.
Fill the ciabatta rolls with the sliced cheese. Put rolls into the panini press and heat until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted. Serve the soup with the cheese panini on the side.
