Summertime play on an American Classic......Grilled Teese and Oven Roasted Poblano-Tomato Gaspacho

Who doesn't love grilled cheese and tomato soup?  Kid friendly, easy and very versatile.  You can make an elevated adult version by adding in truffle oil and roasted tomatoes. 

In my opinion, the bread used can make or break this simple sammy.  I chose to go with a rosemary bread to give it a nice fresh herbal touch to the sandwich.

Gazpacho is also quite versatile.  You can really make it any way you want.  You can go for the traditional tomato version or even a cooling, fruity version like a watermelon gazpacho.  But I was in the mood for something a bit smokier and spicier, so I opted for a Roasted Tomato-Poblano one.


Grilled Teese and Oven Roasted Tomato-Poblano Gazpacho

Poblano Peppers are usually pretty mild, but the ones that I bought were abnormally fiery!  So, what I did was removed the seeds and some of the flesh and roasted in the oven for about 5-10 min on each side.  Then make sure you let them sweat! 








For the Gazpacho:
4 vine ripe tomatoes
1 poblano pepper cut in half and seeded
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 cucumber chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
2 garlic cloves peeled and finely minced
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar
s+p

Put oven on broil and broil 2 of your tomatoes and the poblano pepper for about 5-10 minutes or until blackened or blistered.  Remove from oven and place the peppers and tomatoes in a plastic bag to sweat.  Keep in mind the poblanos will be done before the tomatoes, so keep an eye on them.
Once tomatoes and poblanos are peeled, chop them into pieces.  Take all of your ingredients and place 1/2 in a blender and keep the other half out to toss in.  Blend until smooth, add in the remaining ingredients and chill in refrigerator for at least 20-30 min.