I love Father's Day and Mother's Day because my family always gets together and I get out of spending money on a gift because I'm the go-to chef for the celebratory meal. JK.... kinda. I made an amazing seafood stew for Mother's Day (click here!) and needed to make something just as great for my dad to ensure I don't pick favorites ;)
My dad isn't a picky eater by any means but he loves the simple meals in life - he's a meat and potatoes kinda guy. He also loves all things tomato based like V8 juice, bloody marys, ketchup, and a good quality (or straight from the can) tomato soup. I decided for Father's Day to make him the best tomato soup he's ever damn well had and some gourmet grilled cheeses. Everyone in the family was seriously satisfied and every last bite was demolished. This was the most delicious, heart warming meal and perfect for a day at camp.
I got the tomato soup recipe out of Chrissy Teigen's cookbook and also realized that it is nearly verbatim Ina Garten's recipe....who knows! Anyways, it was a fantastic recipe and will be my go to tomato soup in the future. It's light and healthy yet bursting with fresh Summer tomato flavor which is enhanced by roasting thick, juicy roma tomatoes for 45 minutes before adding them to the soup.
For the grilled cheese, I decided to mimic the cheeses used in The North Point's sandwich, a restaurant I'm waitressing at for the Summer in Portland. They use smoked gouda, swiss, sharp cheddar and pepperjack and it's the ultimate combo. You need that seductive cheese pull if you know what I'm sayin. A nice sharp cheddar gives it some nutty flavor, pepperjack for a hint of spice and gouda for some smokiness. I use fairly small, equal parts of each so it's not overwhelmingly cheesy, but that's up to you.
I added some ham in there as well because this was catering to my dad's taste buds and it wouldn't be an appropriate Father's Day meal for him if it were vegetarian. Nostalgia at it's finest with a gourmet twist.
My family is extremely lucky to have a place on Winnipesaukee to spend our Summers at. Enjoying this meal with my family and cruising around the lake on the boat was an awesome way to spend Father's Day.... exactly how my dad likes it! I look forward to so many more days like this in my life.....and to making these meal again in the near future!
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
3 lbs roma/plum tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1-2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
2 medium-large onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 28oz can whole plum tomatoes
4 cups fresh basil leaves - or as much as you can pick from your plant!
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 quart good quality chicken or vegetable stock
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes w/ 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a pan and roast for 45 minutes - tomatoes will have started to blister and lightly brown.
When tomatoes are 5-10 minutes from being done in the oven, in large pot over medium heat, melt butter and remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add onions, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to brown lightly.
Add canned tomatoes with juice, thyme, basil, stock and oven roasted tomatoes along with any juices in the pan to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Puree in blender or processor to desired chunkiness. Not sure if that is a word. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve with fresh basil garnish and grilled cheese!
Four Cheese Grilled Ham & Cheese
Ingredients - 4 sandwiches:
8 slices of Italian bread or your go-to grilled cheese bread
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices deli ham, desired thickness
Approx 1/3 cup (more or less depending on how cheesy you're going) each of fresh shredded:
Smoked gouda
Sharp cheddar
Pepperjack
Approx 4 tbsp butter
Directions:
Heat griddle or skillet on stove to medium.
Layer sandwiches with a slice of swiss, piece of ham, then equal parts of smoked gouda, cheddar and pepperjack. You want cheese on either side of the ham so it melts and sticks to the bread better. I like adding a few shakes of pepper.
Melt butter in the pan or skillet, or spread directly on the bread - whichever you prefer.
Cook sandwiches to brown each side and melt all the cheese in the middle, about 2-3 minutes each side.
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