Bloody Mary Soup With Pumpernickel Grilled Cheese Croutons Recipes

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a roasting pan, coat the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and celery root in just enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast the vegetables until tender and caramelized at edges, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Puree the vegetables in batches with the stock and transfer to a soup pot. Season the soup with honey and hot sauce, to taste. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Reheat over medium heat.
• For the cheese sandwiches: Preheat the oven. On the night you want to serve the soup, arrange a cooling rack over a baking sheet and assemble 2 cheese sandwiches using 2 bread slices and 2 slices cheese per sandwich. Cube each sandwich into 9 mini-sandwiches and separate in a baking sheet providing space between each mini-sandwich. Coat the sides and tops of each sandwich with cooking spray. Bake in the hot oven until golden and cheese melts. Float a few sandwich-croutons in each bowl of the soup bowls.

BLOODY MARY SOUP WITH PUMPERNICKEL GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the thyme, lemon zest, garlic, celery and onions. Season the vegetables with the celery salt and black pepper. Cook the vegetables to tender, then deglaze with the vodka. Add the spicy tomato juice, stock, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire and canned tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer to thicken and combine flavors, about 30 minutes. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat.
• To serve, while the soup warms up, butter 8 slices of the bread on one side. Build the sandwiches with the Cheddar slices, buttered sides facing out. Griddle or grill the sandwiches over medium heat until deeply crispy and the cheese melts. Using a serrated knife, cut each sandwich into nine 1-inch croutons.
• Stir the lemon juice into the hot soup just before serving. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, then sprinkle with the parsley and top with the croutons.