I'm Only Happy When I Pretend to Be Shirley Manson in the Rain

I may not be the lead singer of Garbage, but I'm okay with that. It would be kind of awkward to have peaked in the mid-nineties when I was about 10 and my only accomplishment in life was leading not only a Spice Girls fan club, but a Saved By the Bell fan club as well. Also, there's lots of other things that make me happy, not just rain. This is probably a good thing since there's been a drought and only being happy when it rains would mean living a very depressing life.

That being said, I LOVE the rain. LOVE it. I may not be ONLY happy when it rains, but I am incredibly giddy when it does. My family makes an event of it. We always have. Whether it's taking a drive in the rain or making a family movie night, we always plan some sort of rainy weather activity. We are nothing like those whiny little assholes from "The Cat in the Hat." Seriously, what the hell? I can't be the only ones that could relate to the mom abandoning them while it rained. Those kids were whiny. Who whines when it rains despite have a freakin' TALKING GOLDFISH? They do apparently. So ungrateful.

The whole reason for all of this rain talk is that it's finally my favorite season and it finally rained. Not just rained, it poured. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. Fall weather and rain. Love it! How did we celebrate? Movies and an old classic with a grown up twist; tomato soup and grilled cheese. How did I make it with a grown up twist? I put my own spin on Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's Charred Tomato Soup and served it with delicious Panini. Before I post the delicious recipes, I have to ask: has anyone else gotten grief from people over the word "panini?" I have had angry hoards (like 3 people) get mad when I say paninis because apparently "panino" is the singular form and "panini" is already a plural. Paninis, panini. Who cares? It's a delicious smushed sandwich.

Charred Tomato Soup

2 TBS Canola Oil
12 Roma tomatoes, washed, core removed and a small "x" cut in the bottom
salt
1 TBS sugar
1 C white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
2 medium onions, diced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
black pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 C water
2 C low fat Mozzarella
Sour cream
green onions

In a large cast iron skillet heat oil.
Place all Roma tomatoes inside and sprinkle with salt and sugar.
Allow skin to char a bit and carefully turn them. This part is labor intensive, but builds the flavor so much.
Once lightly charred all over, pour in 1/4 C of wine and simmer on low.
In a soup pot cook onions and garlic until tender.
Add in oregano, red pepper flakes and whole can of tomatoes with liquid.
Stir in water and add charred tomatoes and the rest of the reserved wine but NOT the liquid in the cast iron skillet.
Stew for about an hour or two.
Once tomatoes are tender and flavors have married, take a hand blender or pour chunky soup in blender and puree until smooth.
Top with cheese, sour cream and/or green onions.

*I usually make mine a day ahead and store in the fridge in order to allow all of the flavors to mature.

Panini
Panini can literally be made of anything you would put in a sandwich. For the one pictured above we went to the deli and bought hard salami and deli pepperoni sliced the thinnest they could slice, some provolone, mozzarella, grilled green and red bell peppers, grilled onions and arugula. We placed all of the ingredients on bolillo rolls and pressed them on the George Foreman grill. You really can't go wrong with these.

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