This quick soup, an American classic, makes a fine pairing with a grilled cheese sandwich or crisp romaine salad. Here the grilled cheese sandwich takes a different form—a souffléed Cheddar topping on a good piece of toasted sandwich bread. Use an organic brand of tomatoes, one that's thick with puree as well as chunks of tomato.

　　

Ingredients

about 6 cups

　　2 1/2 tablespoons butter

　　1 small onion, chopped

　　1 celery rib, chopped

　　1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled between your fingers

　　Pinch of ground cloves

　　2 tablespoons flour

　　Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes in puree or juice

　　Pinch of baking soda

　　2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water

　　1 1/2 cups milk

　　Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

　　Tomato paste if needed

　　1 egg, separated, or 1 egg white only

　　1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

　　Pinch of cayenne

　　1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

　　1 teaspoon minced scallion or shallot

　　4 slices sandwich bread, lightly toasted

　　

Step 1

1. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, basil, and cloves; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, then add the tomatoes, baking soda, and stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Let cool briefly, then puree in a blender until smooth

　　

Step 2

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Return the soup to the pot, add the milk, and season with salt. If the soup is too thick, thin it with additional milk or stock. If the tomato flavor isn't as rich as you'd like (if the tomatoes were packed in water instead of puree), deepen it by stirring in a little tomato paste.

　　

Step 3

3. For the toasts, combine the yolk, if you're using it, with the mustard and cayenne, then stir in the cheese. Whisk the white until it holds soft peaks and fold it into the mixture along with the scallion. Spread the mixture on the toasted bread and bake until puffed and golden, about 5 minutes, while you reheat the soup. Serve the soup piping hot, with a piece of cheese toast, cut in half on the diagonal, and fresh pepper ground into each bowl.

　　From Vegetable Soups From Deborah Madison's Kitchen by Deborah Madison Copyright (c) 2006 by Deborah Madison Published by Broadway Books.Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and The Savory Way, each earned the IACP's Julia Child Cookbook of the Year award. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone also received a James Beard Award, as did Local Flavors, her most recent book. She is also the author of the James Beard Award nominee This Can't Be Tofu! and The Greens Cookbook, which is now a classic. She lives in Galisteo, New Mexico.