Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Step 1

For the soup:

Step 2

Add the butter, onions, shallots, celery, carrots and garlic to a stock pot over medium heat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies until they're soft (we aren't looking for color here). Add the flour, stir to incorporate and then cook for a few minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.

Step 3

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Season aggressively with kosher salt and black pepper. Allow the soup to simmer until the tomatoes start to burst. Remove the soup from the heat and blend with an immersion blender (if you use a regular blender, let the soup cool down to avoid a tomato explosion).

Step 4

Put the soup and pot back on medium heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until it reduces to the proper consistency. You're looking for a slightly thicker-than-typical tomato soup here. Taste your soup and add salt as needed.

Step 5

For the grilled cheese:

Step 6

While the soup is simmering, make your grilled cheese. Evenly coat one side of each piece of bread (the outside of the sandwich) with a thin layer of mayo. Then add about a tablespoon of the grated pecorino on top of the mayo. Between the bread, add one slice each of cheddar and American cheese, and 1/4 cup of lightly smashed potato chips.

Step 7

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the grilled cheese sandwiches as long as possible without burning them. We want them super crispy before they go in the soup.

Step 8

When they're done, place them on a wire rack to cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, cut each sandwich into nine cubes.

Step 9

To assemble:

Step 10

Heat an oven to broil on its highest setting with the rack in the middle position.

Step 11

Fill four bowls two-thirds full with soup. Add in an entire sandwich worth of grilled-cheese cubes. Top with one slice of each cheese. Broil until the top of the cheese is melted, bubbling and starting to brown.

Step 12

Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a healthy pinch of chives and a light sprinkle of salt.