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1
Put a soup pot over medium-high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil.
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2
When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic.
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3
Cook and stir for a few minutes until the onion is soft; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
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4
Add the tomatoes and their juices.
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5
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down into a chunky pulp, about 5 minutes.
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6
Toss in the basil leaves and bread.
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7
Cook, stirring gently, until the bread gets very soft and absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes.
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8
Push the bread pieces down with a wooden spoon if they float to the top.
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9
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
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10
Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and remove from the heat.
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11
Working in batches, ladle the soup into a blender.
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12
Alternatively, if you have an immersion blender, this is a great time to use it.
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13
Puree for a few seconds until completely smooth.
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14
Pour the soup into a tureen or other pot and season with salt and pepper as needed.
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15
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with parsley.
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16
Serve the grilled cheese sandwiches on the side for dipping.
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17
Put the bread slices on a cutting board and butter one side of each slice.
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18
Place a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat.
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19
When the pan is hot, add 4 slices of bread, buttered side down.
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20
Divide the Fontina among the slices.
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21
Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread, buttered side up.
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22
Cook, pressing occasionally with a flat spatula, until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes.
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23
Turn the sandwiches over and toast the other side until the bread is golden and the cheese melts, roughly a minute.
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24
Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut each into 4 squares or triangles.
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25
Beef Tomatoes
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26
Virtually all of the nations field-grown tomatoes come from Florida during the winter growing season.
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27
Big and beautiful, rich red beefsteaks are my tomatoes of choice.
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28
Balanced in both sugar and acid, their sunny fruit flavor and juicy sweetness shine with minor embellishment; there really is no substitute.
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29
I find Roma, or plum, tomatoes a bit too dry and mealy, and those little out-of-season tomatoes sold on the vine are full of water, have little to no flavor, plus are expensive to boot!
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30
The best quality beefsteak tomatoes are not always available at major supermarkets.
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31
Seek them out at farmers markets (or better yet, grow them in your garden or in patio containers, if thats an option).
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32
When buying, look for tomatoes with intense color that feel firm and heavy and smell like the plant itself.
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33
A slightly underripe tomato will ripen on the counter at room temperature.
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34
Do not refrigerate tomatoes; cold stops the ripening process, kills their flavor, and gives them an unpleasant mealy texture.
