| Portions |
|---|
| Serves 4 |
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 (796ml) can whole or diced tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, skins on
- 2 small shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 sprigs oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup cream, half and half or whipping cream
- Dry oregano and ground Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving
For the sandwiches:
- 16–20 slices pepperoni
- 8 slices prepared garlic toast
- 200–250g grated mozzarella cheese
Directions
- Heat your oven to 375ºF and add the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and oregano to a sheet pan. Season with the sugar and a bit of salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender and the garlic is soft.
- Meanwhile, heat the stock in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the vegetables are done, pick out the sprigs of thyme, carefully squash the roasted garlic out of its skin, discard the skin, and transfer to the broth along with the tomato paste. Using an emersion or regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. Stir through the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- For the sandwiches, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepperoni into the dry skillet and fry on both sides just until crisp around the edges, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Place four slices of garlic toast into the pan and divide over the cheese and crispy pepperoni. Top with the remaining slices of garlic toast and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until golden brown and the cheese has melted then uncover, flip, and continue to cook until both sides are golden.
- Serve the soup scattered with some dry oregano and ground Parm with the pepperoni grilled cheese on the side.