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Creamy Heirloom Tomato Soup with Grilled Ham and Cheese

Source of Recipe

From "My Family Table" by John Besh


Recipe Introduction

"The secret to the best tomato soup is to make a tomato sauce when good fresh tomatoes are in season and freeze it to use later for soup — and in any number of other recipes. To make this soup, just pull a container of tomato sauce from the freezer (or open a can of good tomatoes), add a little cream, and you're done. As for the ham, after you've baked it and enjoyed your Sunday ham, slice it and freeze it for later. And if it came with a bone, make sure to save it with any stray bits of ham to cook up in a pot of beans."

List of Ingredients

For the Soup:
â—¦ ¼ cup olive oil
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, crushed
â—¦ 2 (12-ounce) cans good tomatoes
â—¦ 1 cup organic heavy cream
â—¦ 1 teaspoon sambal chili paste
â—¦ 1 teaspoon sugar
â—¦ Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh basil
â—¦ Salt

For the Sandwiches:
â—¦ 16 thick slices good white or wheat bread
â—¦ Dijon mustard
â—¦ 16 slices Swiss cheese
â—¦ 16 slices cooked ham
â—¦ 4 tablespoons butter, plus more as needed


Recipe

For the soup:
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute but don't let it brown. Add the tomatoes, cream, chili paste, sugar, and basil and bring to a boil. Transfer to a blender and purée. Season with salt and a pinch more sugar. Keep the soup warm until the sandwiches are ready.

For the sandwiches:
Coat one side of each slice of bread with mustard. Layer the ham and cheese on eight of the slices, then top with the remaining bread.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the sandwiches in batches and brown on each side, adding more butter to the skillet as needed. Slice the sandwiches and serve with the tomato soup.

Serves 8