A Greenpoint Kitchen

Savory Stuffed Apples

thestrycker — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:12:16 +0000

I’ve been on an apple kick this fall. I love buying different varieties of local apples. I’ve eaten them as is, sliced with peanut butter, in pies, grated with sweet potatoes and fried in olive oil, in salads– there are many ways to enjoy this fruit. The other night, I wanted to make something simple, but warm and savory. I had some small macouns and a leftover tart cranberry compote that I made by simmering fresh cranberries with some orange juice, rind, maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. I cut the macouns in half, and used a spoon to remove the seeds and core, so that each half had a small cavity. I preheated my oven and put my enamel, oven safe skillet on medium heat, adding about a tablespoon of olive oil, and a small slice of butter to make it more rich. I added about 3/4 cups of red wine, and a few drops of maple syrup to the mixture– I didn’t want it to be too sweet. Then I placed the apple halves in the red wine mixture, and let them simmer for about 10 minutes. I didn’t want them to be poached, but just somewhat tender. I flipped the apples over, and stuffed each one with the cranberry mixture, and then topped with some gorgonzola. Walnuts would have been an excellent addition as well. I placed the entire thing int he oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the apples were bubbling, and the cheese was melted. The result was a delicious savory stuffed apple, almost like a dessert cheese course, but I had them for dinner.

Savory Stuffed Apples

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
Butter
2 macoun apples, halved, with core removed
Cranberry compote
3/4 cup red wine
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place an oven safe skillet over medium heat. Combine olive oil and butter in the skillet. When the butter has melted, add the red wine and maple syrup. Let cook for a couple minutes, and place the apples in the skillet, face down. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn the apples over, and fill each one with the cranberry compote. Stir any remaining compote into the red-wine sauce. Crumble gorgonzola cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbling. Serve warm, spooning additional sauce on top, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Risotto Pancake

thestrycker — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:13:41 +0000

The other night I made a pumpkin risotto for dinner. Leftover risotto is disappointing if reheated as-is, so I decided to turn the leftovers into a large risotto pancake. I used a couple of tablespoons of applesauce as a binder for the rice, since it acts as a nice compliment to the autumnal pumpkin flavor of the risotto. I rolled the mixture into a ball, and flattened it into my hot cast iron skilled, frying up one large pancake that could be cut into pieces, although one could easily make multiple smaller cakes. The result was a delicious rice pancake– crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. Serve on a bed of wilted greens, and garnish with parmesan.

Pumpkin Risotto Pancake

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
1 1/2 – 2 cups leftover pumpkin risotto (recipe below)
2-3 tablespoons applesauce
Arugula (or other greens)
Parmesan cheese (optional; omit if vegan)

In a large bowl, mix the leftover risotto and applesauce. Put a skillet on medium-high heat, and lightly coat with olive oil. When the oil has heated, take the risotto mixture, and form a large circle. Place into the pan, and flatten until it covers the area of the skillet. (Or, form into smaller pancakes instead.) Cook a few minutes, until browned on the bottom. Flip, and cook until the other side is browned. Slide onto a plate. Quickly wilt the arugula in the warm pan. Top the risotto pancake with the wilted arugula, and garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Pumpkin Risotto

I don’t use butter or cream in my risotto, so it’s a bit lighter then some other risottos, although still creamy. You can choose to stir in some fresh parmesan or omit that if you’d like a dairy-free course. Traditionally, white wine is used to make risotto, but, not having that on hand, I decided to substitute it with a fall beer– a pumpkin ale, that I thought would compliment the other autumnal flavors in the risotto. The hops in the beer lend a slight bitterness, but it’s nicely balanced out by the malt and pumpkin flavors, as well as the cinnamon and nutmeg that it’s spiced with. I don’t have exact measurements for the liquid– it can vary, and it’s best to just have a pot of hot stock on the stove that you can ladle in as needed. I used about 3/4 of a bottle of beer, and a lot of additional stock. As with all of my recipes, adjust the spices to your taste.

Olive oil
6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1-2 shallots, diced
Arborio Rice (I used an entire box, which was 17.6 ounces, or just over 2 cups)
3/4 of a pumpkin beer (I used Brooklyn Brewery’s Post-Road Pumpkin Ale)
Vegetable Broth (keep warm)
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 – 2 cups diced pumpkin or other winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary– remove the herb from the stalks and finely dice
2-4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (optional; omit if you don’t want this to be a bit spicy)
A pinch of cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
Parmesan cheese (optional; omit if vegan)

Place a medium-sized sauce-pan over medium-low heat and coat with olive oil. Add half the garlic and shallots and cook until the garlic is golden. Add the arborio, and coat the rice with with olive oil mixture, letting it toast slightly. Add pumpkin puree and the pumpkin beer. Stir constantly over medium-low heat. As the liquid is absorbed, add ladles of vegetable broth. Continue until rice is creamy and tender, about 35-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a separate skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add remaining garlic and shallots and crushed red pepper. Cook for a minute, and add the diced pumpkin and squash. Add the rosemary and sage, and a splash of vegetable broth. Cover and cook until squash is tender, turning occasionally to prevent sticking.

Remove the rice from heat. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, and parmesan, if using. Stir in the pumpkin and squash mixture, and garnish with additional parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!

Pepita-Tomatillo Salsa

thestrycker — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:46:06 +0000

Last week I made tacos and a variety of salsas, including one made with roasted pepitas and tomatillos. The pepitas gave the salsa a slightly nutty flavor. It’s delicious with vegetables, fish, or just as a dip for tortilla chips. It’s also incredibly simple to make. I lightly toasted the pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, in a cast iron pan on the stove. Tomatillos, garlic cloves, and jalapeños were placed in foil with a little olive oil, and roasted in the oven. All of it went into the food processor with some fresh cilantro, additional garlic, lime juice, and a pinch of brown sugar to bring out all of the flavors. Salt to taste, add additional chiles if you’d like to kick up the heat, and enjoy!

Pepita-Tomatillo Salsa

This is a fairly mild salsa– the roasting of the jalapeños takes away most of their heat. Add additional raw jalapeño or other chiles at the end if you’d like a spicier salsa. Use unsalted pepitas. Or, if you can only find salted, omit any additional salt at the end.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Olive oil
5 tomatillos, husks removed
2-3 jalapeños
6 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 limes
Pinch of brown sugar
1 small bunch of cilantro

Preheat the broiler. Place a skillet over medium heat. Toast the pepitas for two to four minutes. The seeds will pop, and begin to brown.

Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, and five of the garlic cloves in a aluminum foil, and coat with a generous amount of olive oil (about 1/4 cup). Place in the oven and cook for 6-10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft, and the tomatillos and peppers are soft, and slightly charred.

Place the toasted pepitas and broiled tomatillos mixture in the food processor. Add the remaining raw garlic clove, lime juice, brown sugar, and cilantro. Purée
until blended. Salt to taste.

Baked Eggs over Tomatoes

thestrycker — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:03:44 +0000

In addition to the scrambled eggs with sour cream that I served at last weekend’s brunch in the Catskills, I also made dishes of baked eggs over an herbed tomato sauce. Start these on the stove top in a cast iron skillet, and then finish them in the oven. Serve with toast or grilled bread.

Baked Eggs over Tomatoes

Eggs aren’t part of a typical Mediterranean breakfast, but the classic Mediterranean combination of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, herbs and olives is a perfect complement to the baked eggs. It’s not quite tomato season, but when it is, consider subbing all fresh tomatoes for the crushed.

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
2-3 crushed red chilies
1 small bunch of fresh oregano, chopped
4 sage leaves, chopped
1-2 sprigs of rosemary– (remove the hard stalk, and chop the “leaves” finely
1 large fresh tomato, diced
16 ounces whole tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
Salt to taste
6 large eggs
Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Additional fresh herbs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Coat with olive oil, and add diced onion. Cook for a few minutes, until onion begins to become translucent, and add garlic, dried chilies, and herbs. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or just until garlic begins to turn golden, but before it brows. Add the fresh tomato. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir so that the herbs and garlic are evenly distributed, and cook for about 10 minutes. The sauce should begin to thicken. Add salt to taste. Crack the eggs over the dish. Sprinkle the olive halves on top. Sprinkle a small amount of freshly grated parmesan on top. Cover loosely with foil. Place into the oven, and bake for 6-10 minutes, or until egg whites are firm, but the yolks are still a bit runny. Garnish with herbs, and additional cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Eggs with Herbs and Sour Cream

thestrycker — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:11:32 +0000

We spent last weekend celebrating our friend Sally’s birthday in a great big house in the Catskills. I made breakfast for about a dozen people– two kinds of eggs, fruit, and sausage that we brought up from the Meat Hook for the meat eaters. These eggs, creamy with sour cream, butter and gorgonzola, and laced with fresh dill and tarragon were easy to make, and super-satisfying.

(Extra shout-out to the birthday girl for letting me use her beautiful pics!)

Eggs with Herbs and Sour Cream

This will serve about six people. Adjust accordingly if you need more or less, and use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.

INGREDIENTS

12 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fresh, chopped herbs (I used a mixture of dill and tarragon)
3 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, a tablespoon of water, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until frothy and evenly colored.

Place a large pan over medium heat. (I used a cast iron skillet.) After the pan begins to warm, add the butter, and allow it to melt, and evenly coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the herbs, and coat with the butter. Add the egg mixture to the pan. Once it begins to set, use a spatula to push the cooked eggs to the center, and then tilt the pan so that the runny parts are distributed onto the surface of the skillet. Just before they seem done, sprinkle in the cheese, and use the spatula to help it melt and distribute evenly. Add additional salt, and fresh black pepper to taste. Remove from heat, and serve warm with toast and other breakfast foods!

Lime in the Coconut: Key Lime Pie Cupcakes with Coconut Meringue

thestrycker — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:19:10 +0000

This past weekend was one of the first nice weekends, and it was also my friend Sally’s birthday, which we celebrated in the Catskills. What better way to celebrate a birthday, and the weather, than with Key Lime Pie cupcakes! These graham cakes filled with a key lime custard and then topped with a coconut meringue were light and tart and generally delicious. They are also an ideal vehicle for colorful cocktail umbrellas, if you are feeling festive. They’re a little bit labor intensive, but they are definitely worth it.

For the graham cake, I used Vanilla Garlic’s recipe, modifying it just slightly with the use of soy milk and some good quality vanilla extract. The cake was everything he promised it would be– light and fluffy but distinctly tasting of graham crackers. The batter was also amazing.

For the filling, I used my own key lime custard recipe. The cupcakes are actually twice-baked, because they go back in the oven for a few minutes to cook the filling. (I’ll eat raw eggs in batter, but I don’t feel comfortable serving a filling with raw eggs to others, so I decided that a double bake was my best option. The citric acid in the lime juice does also work to “cook” the eggs though.) My cakes were still moist even after the second time in the oven, but when baking the first time, keep in mind that moister is better, as they’ll be baked again.

Cream of tartar, traditionally used in meringues, is a strangely illusive ingredient in my neighborhood, so I use white vinegar to get those fluffy egg white peaks.

Enjoy!

Graham Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup of milk (I used soy)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup of flour (I used cake flour, whisked, but all-purpose should work too)
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (about a sleeve of graham crackers, finely crushed, ideally in a food processor, but a rolling pin over a plastic bag also works)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat the butter for about 30 seconds or until well creamed. Add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment for this. Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to beat for 30 seconds for each egg.

Sift or whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt. Slowly add to the butter mixture, alternating with milk. Continue to mix until just combined.

Scoop into cupcake liners and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester/ toothpick comes out clean.

Cut a piece of cake out of each cupcake and fill the cavity with the key lime curd mixture. (I used a grapefruit spoon to do this.)

Key Lime Filling

This also works great as a pie filling, or just as a custard baked in ramekins.

INGREDIENTS

3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue!)
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (don’t use bottled for this– if you can’t find key limes, it’s better to substitute other fresh limes)
Zest of 3 limes (reserve additional zest for garnish)

Whisk together the yolks and condensed milk until well combined. Add the lime juice and zest and whisk again. Spoon into the cavities of the cupcakes, top with coconut meringue (below) and return to the oven to bake for 5 minutes, or until filling is firm and meringue is just slightly browned. (If you are using this as a pie filling, it will take longer to bake– about 10-15 minutes. But, because there is just a tablespoon or so in each cake, it cooks much faster.)

Coconut Meringue

It’s important to make this in a clean bowl with no grease or fat residue. Just a tiny bit of yolk or grease can keep your eggs from getting fluffy.

INGREDIENTS

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract or coconut rum
Unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish

Whisk together the egg whites and vinegar until foamy. (A stand mixer is ideal for this.) Add sugar, and continue whisking at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold in the coconut extract or rum. Spoon on top of each cake. Sprinkle cocunut flakes, and any reserved lime zest on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Let cook, and enjoy!

Dill Crêpes Stuffed with Smoked Salmon

thestrycker — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:19:59 +0000

For Christmas, Sam purchased crêpe spreaders as a present for his sister. But, since they came in a package of 10 or so, and as yet, she has no plans to open a crêperie, he kept one for us. It’s been sitting in a drawer filled with miscellaneous utensils for months, but last week, we decided to break it out. Neither of us had ever made crêpes before– I was intimidated. I know that crêpes are really just very thin pancakes; but they’re French! And don’t people usually use a special pan to make them?! But they really were simple. I added dill to the batter and used the food processor to blend all of the ingredients. We used a buttered cast iron griddle (neither round, nor non-stick, but I had no problems), and the crêpe spreader– just two simple wooden dowels, which worked remarkably well to create perfect, thin circles of batter. We filled them with whipped cream cheese, wilted spinach, smoked salmon, and capers. I served lightly sauteed radishes seasoned simply with a dash of sea salt and fresh black pepper as a side. Simple, but seemingly decadent. Bon appétit!

Dill Crêpe Batter

The only special tool needed was a crêpe spreader, an inexpensive contraption made from two wooden dowels. I added dill to the batter, which was a great complement to the smoked salmon filling. With other fillings, parsley, basil, or tarragon would work well.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small bunch of dill, minced

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend until batter is smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and let chill for at least 20 minutes.

Place a skillet on medium heat and brush lightly with butter. Pour an eighth of a cup of batter onto the center of the pan, and use the crêpe spreader to form a thin circle of batter. Cook for about one minute, and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds or so, and transfer the crêpe to a plate to be filled. Brush the pan with butter again, and repeat, until all of the batter is used up. The recipe makes about a dozen crêpes.

Smoked Salmon Filling

Olive oil
5 ounces spinach
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 ounces whipped cream cheese
2 ounces smoked salmon
capers

Place a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, and let heat for about a minute. Add the spinach, and remove from heat. Add the lemon juice. Toss to coat.

Layer each crêpe with some cream cheese, the spinach, smoked salmon, and capers, Roll to close. Enjoy!

Spinach Mushroom Calzones

thestrycker — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:13:54 +0000

Last night’s storm of thunder, lightening, snow and hail had me craving something warm and filling and Italian– something that felt cozy and would go well with a glass of red wine. I looked in the fridge to see what I ingredients I had and found half a bag of spinach, crimini mushrooms, 2 portobellos, some sun dried tomatoes and a lot of cheese, including an unopened pint of ricotta. A calzone with vegetables added to the filling seemed like the perfect meal. I made some pizza dough and placed it in the oven at 170 degrees for a quick rise. I cut the mushrooms, and chopped the spinach, and and sautéed them with garlic and a bit of olive oil. Then I added the vegetables to a mix of ricotta, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella and a little bit of manchego. I’m sure that parmesan, asiago, or fontina would have also worked well. I split the dough into four pieces, rolled each out into a circle, placed a generous amount of filling in each, and then folded them over. As they baked in the oven, I made a simple marinara from crushed tomatoes, garlic and chopped basil, for dipping. The result was warm and gooey and delicious, and the perfect accompaniment for a glass of red wine while I listened to the storm.

Calzones

I used my “perfect pizza dough” recipe for the dough. Spinach, criminis, portobellos and sun dried tomatoes were added to a mixture of cheese for the filling. Broccoli, or broccoli rabe would also work well. Any leftover filling is great for filling ravioli, or even just on top of pasta.

INGREDIENTS

Pizza dough
Olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves smashed and minced
8 crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 portobello mushrooms, chopped into bite size pieces
6 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
5 ounces spinach, rinsed and chopped
Salt to taste
15 ounces ricotta
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped into small pieces
1 ounce mangchego, grated
3 ounces chevre (goat cheese)

Preheat the oven to 500, or the highest temperature. Lightly coat a medium sized pan with olive oil and place on medium heat. Add 3 of the minced garlic cloves and cook for a couple minutes, until garlic begins to turn golden. Add the mushrooms and coat with the oil mixture. Add the spinach, and cook until mushrooms are tender. Salt to taste.

In a large bowl, mix the cheeses. Add the remaining garlic and sun dried tomatoes to the mixture. Add the cooked spinach and mushrooms to the cheeses, and stir until everything is evenly distributed.

Divide the pizza dough into 4 pieces. (Or 8, if you want to make smaller calzones.) On a floured surface, roll out each piece into a circle. Place a generous amount of filling on one half of the circle. Fold the other half over to make a semi-circular pocket. Crimp the sides together with a fork. Using the tongs of the fork, poke three sets of holes into the top the the calzone. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes or until dough is golden. Serve with marinara, and enjoy with a glass of wine!

Green Sauce like Tina’s

thestrycker — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:40:19 +0000

Last month, Sam and I had lunch at his favorite Cuban restaurant, Tina’s, in Midtown. Sam advised me to get “extra green sauce” with whatever I ordered. I’m glad I took his advice. The creamy, just slightly spicy cilantro-y sauce is delicious on plantains, potatoes, fries, or sandwiches.This week we made fish with potatoes, and I decided to try my hand at making my own version of “Tina’s green sauce.”

I did some research, and found out that Tina’s sauce is their version of a Peruvian aji, which is made from chiles, iceberg lettuce, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder and mayo. In my version, I omitted the iceberg lettuce, and used extra cilantro. Fresh garlic replaced the garlic powder, which gave the sauce more bite, and chives were substituted for scallions, because that’s what I had on hand. I also added extra virgin olive oil in addition to mayo, and the juice of 1/2 of a lime. Using the food processor, the entire thing took less than 5 minutes to make. Enjoy it on fish, potatoes, vegetables, eggs, and sandwiches.

Green Sauce like Tina’s

INGREDIENTS

1 large bunch of cilantro, rinsed
2-3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
3-4 jalapeños
1/3 cup of fresh chives
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
Sea salt to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend until it has the consistency of a creamy sauce. Salt to taste.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese: An American Classic

thestrycker — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:02:47 +0000

Spring is almost here, but it’s still a bit chilly. There’s no better way to get cozy than with a bowl of soup. Inspired by the Campbell’s tomato soup and Kraft grilled cheeses of my childhood, I decided to make my own version, fit to serve to adults. The soup is incredibly simple– it’s only slightly more involved than opening a can and adding water, and the result is an aromatic, slightly chunky tomato soup. I also added carrots and garlic to to mix. The grilled cheese is done on the grill pan with thick slices of crusty bread that had been rubbed with crusged garlic forming the sandwich around cheese and red onion. I used gruyère and mozzarella, because it was what I had on hand, but any good cheese will do.

Tomato Soup

You’ll want to use a Dutch oven, or an oven safe pot for this. Otherwise, use a casserole dish and then transfer to a stock pot.

INGREDIENTS

14 ounces whole canned tomatoes, crushed with your hands, juices reserved
Extra virgin olive oil
1 small carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, whole and peeled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch of fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Coat the Dutch oven with olive oil. Add the tomatoes (reserving the juice for later), whole garlic cloves, carrot and onions, and the bay leaf. Add a bit more olive oil. Place in the oven, covered, and roast until the garlic is tender, and the onions and tomatoes have begun to caramelize. This took about 30 minutes for me.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, add the rinsed basil leaves with abut 1/4 cup of olive oil, the minced garlic and a pinch of sea salt, and blend. (You can also choose to skip this step and just finely chop the basil. Or, you can form a pesto with it using your mortar and pestle.) Set aside.

Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and place it on the stove top over medium heat. Add the tomato juice and broth, and stir. If you’d like a smoother soup, use blend using an immersion blender. Or, transfer this mixture to the food processor or blender before the entire thing is warmed, and then transfer back to the stove. If you prefer a chunkier soup, leave as it. When the soup is warmed through, stir in the basil-pesto. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve with bread or grilled cheese (recipe below.)

Grilled Cheese

Use a grill pan to to get those nice grill marks.

INGREDIENTS

Good bread– 2 slices per sandwich (I used a crusty bread from our local Polish bakery)
1 clove of garlic, smashed
Extra virgin olive oil
Cheese (I used gruyère and mozzarella, but any good semi-hard to semi-soft cheese will work– cheddar, blue, brie, etc)
Red onion slices

Place the grill plan over medium heat, and lightly coat with olive oil. Rub smashed garlic onto each slice of bread. Place cheese and onions onto a slice of bread, and then close the sandwich with the remaining slice. Place in grill pan and grill until cheese begins to melt. Flip sandwich. Grill until both sides are toasty, with grill marks, and cheese is melted inside. Enjoy dipped in your tomato soup!