roasted garlic, tomato, and pepper soup + pimento-ish grilled cheese

jimmy nardellos will always have a special place in my heart <3

what you need

for the soup

1 head of garlic, top cut off to expose cloves

1 1/2 pounds beefsteak or roma tomatoes, halved

1/2 pound sweet peppers (like jimmy nardello, my fav!), deseeded and quartered

2 large shallots, halved

3 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

chicken stock as needed

for the pimento-ish cheese + grilled cheese

1/2 cup cream cheese

7- 8 oz freshly grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp kewpie mayo (plus more for grilled cheese)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup of confit peppers*, diced (can sub for jarred roasted red or pimento peppers)

sourdough sandwich bread

what you do

for the soup

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large baking dish, combine garlic, tomatoes, peppers and shallots with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Use extra olive oil as needed to make sure everything is well coated. Roast for 40-45 mins or until the vegetables are soft and slightly charred. Remove from oven an allow to cool.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a blender along with the roasted vegetables and their juices. Blend until smooth, working in batches as needed. The tomatoes will release a large amount of juice, but add chicken stock as needed to thin out the soup and help blend (alternatively, you can add everything to a pot and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth).

Once smooth, taste and season the soup as needed. Bring to a simmer on the stove for an additional 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve with pimento grilled cheese.

for the pimento + grilled cheese

add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until evenly combined using a spatula. Chill in fridge. Assemble grilled cheese using a few heaping spoonfuls of pimento cheese and two slices of bread. spread kewpie mayo evenly on the outside of each slice, then fry grilled cheese until golden brown on each side and the cheese is warm and melting. serve with warm soup and ENJOY!

*to make your own confit peppers: roughly chop half pound of peppers of your choice (can be mix of spicy, sweet and mild). add to a small baking dish and cover fully in olive oil. cover with lid or tin foil and bake in the oven for 1-1.5 hours at 300°F. until peppers are very soft and melted.