Tomato Soup Masala with Punjab Spiced Grilled Cheese

So the other day was a classic New England winter wonder, complete with piled snow, and of course, frigidly cold icy winds. Upon getting back from running some errands, I was bone chilled and hungry, so the meal that immediately popped into my head was a classic cold weather cure from my childhood: The grilled cheese with creamy tomato soup. While a tantalizing concept unto itself, I was inspired by my little sister's recent trip to India to try and fuse some of the spice and flavor of the Northern region of the country to add an extra layer of flavor warmth.

Now in my mind, one of the most inviting and comforting foods in the canon of Punjabi cuisine is Chicken Tikka Masala, a dish of yogurt marinated chicken (chicken tikka) served in a velvety smooth tomato sauce. This seemed like the perfect dish to twist into a version of tomato soup that contained the wonderful, pungent undertones of Indian spices while staying true to that winter day comfort food concept.

However, If I was going to funk up the tomato sauce, it certainly deserved to be paired with something a little more interesting than your average grilled cheese. Something had to be done. Immediately it slapped me across the face that the best way to play off of the acidity of the soup was to hit it with a mellow cheese and introduce some nice, earthy undertones provided by cumin and coriander seeds.

The result: The perfect winter warmer, Punjab style.


Tomato Soup Masala
24oz Tomato Puree (3 8oz cans)
1/2 Pint Pint Heavy Cream
3 Birds Eye Chiles, thinly sliced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tspns Paprika
1/2 Tspn Cinnamon
1 Tablspn Vegetable/Canola oil
Mint, finely chopped (garnish)
1 Tspn each:
Amchur (mango powder)
Fenugreek
Tumeric
Powdered Ginger
Salt


1) In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the oil and saute the garlic, chiles and fenugreek over medium/high heat (3-5 minutes)
2) Add the tomato puree and bring to a simmer
3) In a small bowl, combine the spices and salt, mixing to integrate
4) Whisk spices into soup and simmer over medium heat (5-8 minutes)
5) Add the cream and cook until well blended, frequently mixing (5-8 minutes)
6) Garnish with mint and serve


Punjabi Spiced Grilled Cheese
2 Slices thick-cut sourdough bread
1/4 Cup grated Fontina Cheese
1/4 Cup grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 Tblspn butter
1 Tspn Cumin seed
1 Tspn Coriander seed

1) Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 300 degrees
2) In a medium non-stick skillet, melt half of the butter
3) Add the cumin and coriander seeds and saute over medium-low heat (2-3minutes)
4) Blend the cheeses and place in an even layer on one of the slices of bread, and then close the sandwich
5) Bring the heat up to medium and sear one side of the sandwich in the pan, applying steady pressure, until golden brown and crispy (1-2 minutes)
6) Add the rest of the butter and repeat on the other side
7) To finish, place the sandwich on a grill rack in the oven and bake (3-5 minutes)
8) To serve, slice on a bias and stack your sandwhich halves perpindiculr to one another