A Fall Favorite: Soup and Sandwich

Since fall has started to make its presence know, I have been wanting warm, soothing foods - what better than soup accompanied by a sandwich!

The following recipe is supper easy to make. The most involved part is cleaning and chopping the escarole. I made this the other day while on hold with my insurance company (I was on hold for about 25 minutes) and by the time I spoke to a human, the soup was ready! This is a really good recipe - it doesn't look or sound like much, but it is delicious and very satisfying. If you like soup, try it! It is also very low in calories (if you are watching your caloric intake).

Escarole and White Bean Soup

8 ounces escarole
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 cans of chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz. each) cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
salt & pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

• Cut base off escarole; rinse and drain leaves. Cut leaves crosswise into 1/4 inch wide strips.
• Set a 4- to 5-quart pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add oil, onion and garlic; stir often until onion is limp, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add broth and beans, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in escarole and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

I brought this to work for a pot luck and my co-worker (Jaime) made grilled apple and cheese sandwiches to go with it - it was the perfect accompaniment! The following is Jaime's recipe.

Grilled Irish Cheddar and Honeycrisp Apple Sandwiches

1/2 lb sliced Artesian Irish Cheddar Cheese (or your favorite cheddar)

1-2 Honeycrip apples, sliced thin
1 loaf Rustic sourdough bread (we had a round loaf), sliced
olive oil

• Lightly brush 2 slices of bread with olive oil (only on one side).
• To the "naked" side add a slice of cheese, then an apple slice, more cheese, another apple slice, cheese, the top with the other slice of bread.
• Either use a panini press or grill in a pan - both sides of the sandwich until the bread is nicely browned.
• Cut the sandwich in half and serve with the soup.

You will find that the cheese is gooey and the flavors are wonderful. I really enjoyed this meal! It really celebrated the flavors of Autumn and had I not been at work, a glass of wine would have made this a gourmet meal!