When I was a kid, I never liked grilled cheese. I didn’t like cheese. Didn’t like strawberries back then either. So why am I surprised today when my kids refuse to eat beans or avocado?!?
There are some foods that kids just won’t eat — whether for its taste, texture, or look. I think the only thing we can do as parents is to keep introducing these foods again and again without pressuring them to eat it. I’ve found that gentle peer pressure — watching other kids enjoy a food without any nagging from a parent — can work wonders, so try to feed these foods to your kids around other kids. (I know, easier said than done during a social distancing, quarantining pandemic.) Also remember that kids legitimately have many more taste buds than adults do (10,000 instead of the roughly 5,000 that elders have) so foods that taste one way to us may taste like a burst of flavor (good or bad) to them. Same goes for textures.
That said, grilled cheese is usually a kid-pleaser — that iconic American sandwich that is actually French in origin. From 1910 to the 1920s, the croque monsieur moved its way to America, where it was served open-faced and called a “cheese dream” or a “toasted cheese sandwich.” It became popular here thanks to two midwestern inventions — Kraft’s processed cheese and the automatic bread slicer, which made the “cheese dream” easier to create and less expensive, right in time for the Great Depression.
The combo of tomato soup and grilled cheese is as perfect as ketchup and French fries. Dip the sandwich into the soup — the lightly sour yet earthy and sweet tomatoes cut the fatty, richness of the cheese sandwich. After you learn a few basic skills, have fun playing around with different styles of breads and cheese (try gruyere!). Or add some cooked bacon, prosciutto, tuna, smoked salmon, crab meat, sliced tomatoes, or caramelized onions. Pretty much anything you can imagine on a pizza would work in a grilled cheese.
I’m pretty certain that if I had dipped my grilled cheese into this tomato soup as a kid, I would have loved it. Right? Nah, probably wrong again.
A Note on Ingredients
Cooking (less so baking) is pretty forgiving when it comes to ingredients. In the tomato soup, for example, if you don’t have carrots and celery, say, you can omit them. Or you have an extra leek or small onion, you can add it. Or, let’s say you forgot to buy the potato. The potato is there to help thicken the soup and give it body. You can swap it with a small handful of canned, rinsed and drained white beans. Or you can add a bit of cream or sour cream even. Or omit it all together - it will still be delicious.
Don’t have a bay leaf? Sure, they are always great to have in the cupboard - I add them to just about every soup or stock I make for their aroma. And while I recommend you buy some bay at some point, you don’t NEED them.
The one ingredient that is important are the tomatoes since we’re making tomato soup. The tomato paste offers a deep tomatoey flavor. And when it comes to canned tomatoes, I always buy whole tomatoes and prefer the texture and sweetness that come from DOP San Marzano tomatoes. The “DOP” means that the tomatoes are certified San Marzano variety from Italy, which are sweeter and softer than most others I’ve tried. There are a lot of brands that are even called San Marzano but aren’t actually San Marzano certified tomatoes. So with this ingredient you have to read the labels carefully.
There are so few ingredients in a grilled cheese, so choosing a good bread and a block of tasty cheese is smart. Grated cheeses often have additives, like anti-caking agents and other preservatives in them. These can affect how they taste and melt. While I use them when in a pinch, I recommend slicing or grating a block of cheese.
Grilled Cheese
Serves 4.
8 slices white loaf or artisan bread
4 to 6 tablespoons butter, softened
Salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, (optional)
6 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese chunk (depending on who’s eating)
Potato chips, for serving (optional)
Cornichon, for serving (optional)
1. Set two bread slices down on a work surface. Divide 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise evenly on the two bread slices and spread it to coat both sides. If using Dijon, add a thin layer (about 1/2 teaspoon) to one side. Close the slices onto one another. Now butter the top and bottom sides of the sandwich. If using unsalted butter, season each side with salt.
2. Grate the cheese on a thick toothed grater. If you don’t have a grater, thinly slice the block of cheese. Place about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of grated cheese or enough sliced cheese to just cover every section of one of the mayonnaise-d bread slices. Flip the other mayonnaise-d piece over the cheese.
3. Set a cast iron or other skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add some butter. Once it foams, set the cheese sandwich into the pan. Let cook, covering the sandwich directly with a pan lid to help melt the cheese, until the bottom is browned, just a few minutes depending on your stovetop and pan. Use a metal spatula to flip the sandwich carefully over, and sear on the second side, covering with the lid, until browned, just a few minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board, and cut diagonally in half. Serve immediately with potato chips and pickles, if you choose, and tomato soup.
4. Repeat with remaining ingredient to make 3 more sandwiches. Recipe by Jill Santopietro.
Classic Tomato Soup
Serves 4 to 6.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 small (5-ounce-ish) golden potato, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano DOP)
1/2 bay leaf
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon packed brown sugar or honey
1. Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the onion, carrot, celery, potato and two pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper, stirring often, and lowering the heat to medium so as not to brown the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 9 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Move the vegetables to one side of the pan. Add the tomato paste and let sear on the bottom of the pot, stirring slightly, until the color of the paste darkens slightly, about 1 minute. Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables and cook, stirring often, for another 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl, remove any basil leaves, and break up the tomatoes with your fingers.
4. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and 2 cups of water to the tomato-pasted vegetables, and let gently simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Transfer the soup to a blender and carefully blend, making sure the top is secure and that the blender is not filled too high (do it in batches if it’s too full, as blending hot soup is very dangerous.) Hold the blender lid securely with a hot mitt to make sure it doesn’t explode or splatter. Blend on high for about 1 minutes, or until fully pureed. Transfer the mixture back to the pot, add the brown sugar (or honey) and season heavily with salt and a few pinches of pepper. Serve with a grilled cheese. Recipe by Jill Santopietro.
