Many Cheers for Adventuring

Passport & Plate - Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

USA | Wednesday, March 12, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Tomato Soup with Bison Meatballs and Grilled Cheese
Serves: 4 - 8 people


Tomato Soup
Yield: 1/2 Gallon

1 Head Garlic
1 1/2 Cup White Onion (sliced)
3/4 Cup Bell Pepper (medium dice)
3/4 Cup Carrot (medium dice)
1/4 Cup Apple (medium dice) - tart apples preferred
1 Can (28 oz) Whole Peeled Tomatoes
2 Cup Red Wine (lighter body, lower acidity)
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
Fat in the Pan Olive Oil
For Seasoning Salt and Pepper
For Garnish Basil (chiffonnade)



Bison Meatballs
Yield: 1 Cup (12 Meatballs)

1/3# Montana Bison (ground) - Beef will also work
3 TB White Onion (minced)
1 TB Garlic (minced)
2 TB Parmesan (shredded)
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
2 TB Whole Milk
1 TB Worcestershire Sauce
1 TB Basil (chopped)
For Seasoning Salt and Pepper



Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Yield: 4 Sandwiches

1 Loaf Rosemary Focaccia
1/2 # Cheddar - any good melting cheese will work
3 T Basil (chiffonnade)
Fat in the Pan Butter

 

How to prepare this recipe
Method of Preparation:

1.Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F
2. Score garlic, pour olive oil on top, and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven for approximately 30-35 minutes.
3. Slice onion and begin to caramelize. In the meantime, chop and dice the carrot, bell pepper, and apple. Once the onions have good color, deglaze with 1 C of red wine and let this liquid to reduce completely.
4. Add diced carrots, peppers, and apple and allow these to cook with the onions on low heat until the roasted garlic is ready.
5. Remove garlic from oven and pull cloves from the paper wrapping. Add garlic. Add remaining cup of wine.
6. Add whole peeled tomatoes, cover and simmer for 1 – 2 hours allowing flavors to meld together.
7.While soup is simmering, prepare the bison meatballs and cheese sandwiches.
8. In a bowl, combine ground bison, minced onions, minced garlic, chopped basil, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Add milk and Worcestershire sauce and season (You may want to cook a small sample of your meat to check for proper flavor and seasoning). Form meat into meatballs.
9.Slice Focaccia in half and layer sliced cheese. Chiffonnade fresh basil and distribute it on top of the layer of cheese. Form large sandwich and cut into portions.
10. Place meatballs into greased pan and then into the oven at 375 Degrees F. Time in the oven will depend on the size of your meatballs so check with a thermometer for preferred doneness.
11. Puree soup smooth. Add water as necessary for blending. Reheat soup while grilling sandwiches.
12. Melt butter in the pan, place sandwiches presentation side down, flip when golden brown. Lower heat and cook sandwiches in pan until cheese melts completely.
13. Pull Meatballs from oven and allow them to rest while you finish the soup.
14. Once soup is hot, add heavy cream and season.
15.Now you are ready to serve the meal!! Portion soup into bowls, add 3 Bison meatballs per bowl, garnish with chiffonnade basil
Put Sandwiches onto plate and ENJOY!

 

The story behind this recipe
I was raised in Missoula, Montana and my family was filled with simple eaters. We were all about steak and potatoes, chicken and pasta, cheese, bread, milk, butter, more meat, and more butter. My mom would often buy bread from Le Petit, our local bakery, slather mounds of soft butter on every slice, stuff as much cheddar cheese into the sandwich as possible and heat canned tomato soup for dipping. Oh yes, we were all grilled cheese eating fiends, and hearty Montanans because of it.

My love for cooking and eating developed more in my teenage years. My dad had become enthralled with wine and therefore with food. I found myself helping him work through extravagant recipes he had read about in Wine Spectator. I was enamored with the whole process and at 17 decided to chase this passion to New York and attend the Culinary Institute of America. I soon discovered just how inefficient my father and I had been in our cozy Montana kitchen, but even so, I fell right into the quick pace and intense nature of perfection.

I was content for some time, distracted by the busy life and feeling of achievement, but memories of Montana eventually took hold. My culinary endeavors in New York were incredible, so exciting at the time, but they were surrounded by stress. My love for feasting never felt as genuine there as it did during the evenings of novice cooking back home with my dad. It was easy to see that my love for food revolved more around people than the perfection I was striving for in New York.

So in honor of cooking out of sincerity and enjoying the people with whom you are eating, I have chosen to go back to the food of my youth; Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup and Bison Meatballs. Its simple and flavorful, a hearty Montanan meal. Of course, I have made a few adjustments from the stellar feast my mom would prepare, but I still use bread from Le Petit, I still stuff it with as much cheese as possible, and I still use mounds and mounds of butter.