Allow us to introduce you to your new best friend: Tomato-Bacon Bisque with a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Few things in life can compete with the nostalgia of Campbell’s Cream of Tomato Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich—especially on a chilly winter’s day. But if anything can, it’s this deeply satisfying, bacon-infused tomato bisque. Add a grilled cheese sandwich, made with a complex, aromatic cheese and an extra crispy crust, and you will be flooded with memories of your youth, as channeled through the sophisticated tastes of your adult life.
INGREDIENTS:
Tomato-Bacon Bisque
1 head garlic
12 strips best-available bacon (about 1⁄2 lb.)
2 tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1⁄2 fennel bulb, cored and chopped, or 3 celery stalks
1 carrot, chopped
3 tbsp flour
1 28-oz. can of tomatoes (whole or chopped)
5 cups best-available chicken stock
1 bouquet garni with 6 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
2 bay leaves, broken
2 tsp harissa (see below)
Salt and pepper
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup heavy cream (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat toaster oven or oven to 400°F.
Slice the pointy top off garlic to expose each of the cloves. Set on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in the foil. Roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 50 min. Reserve.
In a large pot, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and all but roughly 1 tbsp bacon fat. Reserve bacon.
To the pot, over medium-high heat, add butter, onion, fennel and carrot. Cook for about 8 min, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables start to brown. Add flour and stir constantly for 1 min, allowing flour to brown slightly (this thickens the soup in the same way that a roux is used to thicken gumbo). Add tomatoes along with all the juices, stock, 10 strips of bacon and bouquet garni. Simmer for 30 min.
Let soup cool, remove bouquet garni and squeeze out remaining juices back into the pot. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves directly into the pot and add harissa.
Purée soup in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The soup is plenty rich and creamy as is, but if you really want to go for the gusto, finish with cream or drizzle a bit overtop before serving. Serve in warmed soup bowls. Garnish with remaining bacon.
Cooking Time: 75 min
Yield: 6 – 8 servings
Plan-overs: Extra soup will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
2 slices sourdough loaf
2 slices cave-aged Gruyère cheese, or any Gruyère or Emmental
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Toast in a panini maker or a frying pan until well-browned and crispy on both sides.
Harissa is a combination of herbs, spices and chiles. It’s a mainstay of Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. Use it wherever you want to add a moderate layer of heat, in a way that builds flavour but doesn’t steal the show.
