Masala Tomato Soup With Bombay Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipes

BOMBAY MASALA CHILE CHEESE TOASTIES

Steps:

• Hari chutney:
• Purée apple, lime juice, ginger, garlic, cilantro, mint, sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1-2 chiles, depending on how spicy your chiles are and your heat preference, in a blender, scraping down sides and adding water by the tablespoonful, until a smooth paste forms. Taste and season with more salt or sugar if needed. (You should have about 1 cup, which is more than you'll need for the sandwiches. Color will fade as it sits.)
• Do ahead: Chutney can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
• Filling and assembly:
• Heat oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium. Add mustard seeds and cook until popping, about 30 seconds. Add curry leaves and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until slightly darkened in color, about 1 minute. Stir in coriander, turmeric, asafetida (if using), and 1-2 chiles. Crumble potato into pan in large pieces and add salt. Cook, coarsely mashing and tossing potatoes to coat, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Fold in cilantro and chaat masala. Transfer filling to a bowl. Wipe out pan and reserve.
• Arrange 4 slices of bread on a cutting board. Spread some chutney over each slice. Divide filling among slices and top with red onion, green pepper, then cheese. Spread 1 side of remaining 4 bread slices with more chutney and close up sandwiches. Spread ghee over outside of top slices of bread.
• Heat reserved pan over medium. Working in batches if needed, melt a small knob of ghee in pan, then arrange sandwiches, buttered side up, in pan. Cook until golden brown underneath, about 4 minutes. Turn over and cook, pressing down occasionally with the back of a spatula or the bottom of a saucepan, until cheese is melted and other side is golden brown, about 4 minutes.
• Serve toasties with extra chutney and ketchup alongside.
• Chef's note: Sandwiches can be made in a panini or sandwich press as well, or ideally a toastie maker.

QUICK TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Make the soup: Dump the canned tomatoes and their juices into a medium pot and using your hands, tear into coarse chunks. Swish the broth in the empty tomato can and add to the pot.
• Stir in the onion, butter, oregano and sugar and season generously with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and the tomatoes have broken down, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sandwiches: Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread and evenly sprinkle the cheese and a little oregano on the mayonnaise side of 4 slices. Top with the cheeseless slices, mayonnaise-side down.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium. Add the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan, then flip the sandwiches with a spatula, move them around to coat with the butter and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting to keep sandwiches warm.
• Carefully purée the tomato soup using a blender until smooth and creamy, adding more broth if needed to loosen to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the grilled cheeses to a cutting board and cut each in half diagonally. Serve alongside the soup.

MASALA TOMATO SOUP WITH BOMBAY GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• For the soup: In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering, add the onion, ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, heavy cream, garam masala, pepper and salt and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover and cook until the flavors have really deepened and the soup has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, make the chhonk: Melt the ghee in a butter warmer or small pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute or less, until the cumin seeds turn fragrant and a deeper shade of brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the chile powder and asafetida. Drizzle the chhonk over the soup once it's done.
• While the soup is cooking, make the chutney and assemble and cook your sandwiches.
• For the sandwiches: Spread a thin layer of the chutney on four slices of the bread, then evenly distribute the cheese on top (adding more, if you'd like), followed by the onions. Close each sandwich with the remaining four slices of bread and slather the tops of the sandwiches with a generous amount of mayonnaise (this will let the sandwich brown in the skillet).
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once it's hot, add a sandwich, mayonnaise-side down. Slather the side of the sandwich that's now on top with mayonnaise. Once the sandwich is golden brown on the bottom, flip and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. While the sandwich is cooking, use a spatula to press down on the sandwich and bind the cheese and bread together. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
• Slice the sandwiches in half and serve with the soup.
• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until homogeneous, adding more lime juice or water if needed to get the blades moving.