Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

I got kind of sick this weekend, which always takes me by surprise. I very rarely get sick, and when I do, it hardly feels bad enough to make me stay home and ride it out on the couch. But this one did. For two days I was congested and coughing and aching and, well, ok, whining. And I wanted only one thing: tomato soup and grilled cheese.

This was a staple meal of my childhood, especially when one of us wasn’t feeling well. Other people rely on chicken soup for healing, but I trust in the tomatoes. And the grilled cheese is just pure comfort food when you’re curled up on the couch feeling sorry for your sickly self. This is also very easy, so it’s great for when you don’t really want to be standing in front of a stove.

Tomato soup has many variations. The kind we ate most when I was a kid came from a can, and this one, it isn’t the same as that. But I think it’s a little better. You can mix it up with different herbs, add a little cream, use chicken stock instead of vegetable, add some spice. This recipe is just a base for experimentation. We used the immersion blender for this, but I think the food processor would have worked better; this soup was fairly chunky.

I make grilled cheese with sourdough bread and a nice sharp cheddar, a little butter, and nothing else. Some people might get fancy with bacon or arugula or some kind of fancy olive spread. That has its place, certainly. But for this sick day meal, straight up classic grilled cheese is always the best.

And you don’t have to wait until you’re felled by illness to make this for dinner. It’s a wonderful meal when it’s kind of chilly outside, maybe a little drizzly, and you’re looking forward to some good evening time spent on the couch with a good book or your favorite movie or your favorite person. Or all of the above, which is how our Sunday night went. It was just accompanied by my sniffles.

Basic Tomato Soup

• a tablespoon of olive oil
• half a large leek
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 medium carrot
• a few sage leaves (optional)
• 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
• about 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• salt to taste

Trim the top and bottom from the leek, and peel off the tough outer layer. Slice it down the middle, then into quarter-inch slices. Rinse the leek well in a colander under cool water to be sure to get all the sand out. Let the leek drain.

Minch the garlic, and cut the carrot into a small dice. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Once it’s very hot, add the drained leeks. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3 or 4 minutes, until the leek is soft and just beginning to turn golden. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds, then the carrot. Let the vegetables cook for another 5 minutes or so. Mince the sage, and add it to the pot, then add in the can of tomatoes. Break the tomatoes apart a bit with a wooden spoon before adding the broth. Stir well, cover the pot, and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt, and pepper if you like.

You can mix this up easily: substitute thyme, or oregano, or a bay leaf or two for the sage. Add about 1/2 cup of cream after pureeing to make the soup creamier. Or add yogurt, instead of cream, to give the soup a little tanginess. Add red pepper flakes or aleppo pepper to give it some kick, or smoked paprika for something really interesting. This recipe is a simple base that you can do anything with. But I heartily recommend serving it with grilled cheese. The only trick to a really good grilled cheese sandwich is, I think, patience. You have to let those sandwiches sit over not-too-hot heat, so the crust gets lovely and golden, and the cheese melts just right.

What’s your favorite sick day meal?