Fast Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

This is a keeper. You know how in the spring you plant some herbs and before you know it, they're already puttered out and you haven't used them more than twice? This is the reason that won't happen this year. So good you can make it twice a week and no one will say a word.

In a saucepan melt
6 tbsp butter
Add two medium or a really large onion, chopped, and
Three large cloves garlic chopped.
Cover and let cook till soft.

Now dump in
a tall bottle of tomato purée, I think it's 24 oz,
2 tbsp brown sugar,
two vegetable bouillon cubes, and
4 cups of hot water.
Blend with a stick blender (or do it in a blender and don't burn yourself) thoroughly.

In a bowl, put a bunch of herbs. Basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley. Lemon thyme is fabulous. All good. Chop em up well and then add salt and pepper. Put in your soup, bring to a low boil, turn off heat and blend again. Stick blenders are wonderful things I do have to say. You need one.
Anyway, the soup is done. Cover and let wait till your croutons are ready too.

Cut up some old bread. Baguettes, Italian, hard, soft, even white bread (gasp!). Cut into bite sized cubes and put in a bowl. Drizzle all over with olive oil to make sticky. Toss in some herbs. Whatever you think. Oregano, basil, parsley, thyme. Add some garlic powder. About a tsp per 2 cups of cubes. Now Salt and pepper. Then the Parmesan comes in. Grated is ok but the shredded is really nice if you can get it. Pour it all on a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet, and put under the broiler for 3-4 minutes, turning as you see them toast. Serve!

Homemade soup with homemade toasty cheesy croutons. Yum!

They'll be asking for an encore... Enjoy!

Afternoon snack

Thursdays for my Italian classes I like to have a snack. Sometimes we cook. Sometimes we throw things together quickly. Stopping at the grocery on the way I saw some good bread, eggplant on sale and good tomatoes. Pane condito! Aka dressed bread...

Cut a flat type Italian bread (like ciabatta) in half flat-ways so you have two slabs. Dress each with olive oil, crushed oregano, salt and cracked pepper. Bake till crisp.

Meanwhile slice eggplant in rounds about a half finger thickness and cook in a dry skillet, on medium, salting both sides, till soft and well browned. Slice tomatoes fairly thin and set aside.

Dress the toasted bread as follows:
Sliced roasted eggplant
Drizzle fresh lemon juice over
Sliced tomato
Salt tomatoes
Sprinkle with crushed oregano
Drizzle with olive oil
Place thin slices good cheese like provolone or mozzarella on top and broil till toasted.
Now FEAST.

Seriously hard to stop at just a couple of slices... This easy snack is great to use up whatever is in the fridge.  A few slices turkey breast, half a zucchini, part of a red onion, we all have these bits and pieces sitting tucked here and there.  Slice 'em up, drizzle a bit of oil on and stick in the oven.  Who knew they could be so tasty?  Well, the Sicilian did...