I lucked out this flu season but it doesn’t mean I escaped unscathed. I came down with a cold last Friday and the faucet that is my nose finally shut off this morning. Even though runny stuffy nose and fatigue are merely minor inconveniences, I dread getting sick. As an athlete on a demanding training program, I walk a fine line between training hard and training too hard. When the immune system is compromised, I’m more vulnerable to come down with minor illness. This is an early warning signal to adjust my training program accordingly.
Normally I would seek help from my favourite over-the-counter medication to alleviate cold symptoms. Unfortunately, we’re currently experiencing a shortage on NeoCitran (aka Theraflu) in Canada. I haven’t been able to locate a box for months. I fell back on comfort food to feed myself back to health instead. Nutritious food can do no harm.
Taste is very much affected by our sense of smell. Everything tasted flat when I tried to season my meal last weekend. I have not felt so insecure in the kitchen for a long time! I turned to the reliable duo of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. Both are characterized by bright flavour by the nature of ingredients so I needed not worry about under-seasoning.
I opened my new copy of Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Mad Hungry Cravings and followed her recipes for Classic Tomato Soup. It is an updated version of her recipe at Martha Stewart with deeper flavour developed from sautéed shallots, carrots, and celeries. Adding a chunk of parmesan rind totally made the soup more delectable. The cream-less soup was rich in tomato taste and handily put any canned version to shame. Such an easy recipe to whip up even in my weakened state!
Grilled cheese sandwich is mandatory accompaniment to tomato soup, obviously. Besides, I would happily eat grilled cheese sandwiches even when I’m healthy. With the aid of food processor, I quickly made a batch of tangy spicy pimento cheese and generously stuffed it between two slices of ciabatta bread. Quinn let us in on her secret to grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of butter, she coats the bread with mayonnaise. What a brilliant idea! Mayonnaise is basically an emulsion of oil and eggs. It spreads evenly in very thin layer which means my sandwich grilled to golden perfection despite ciabatta’s craggy crumb.
The pimento cheese melted beautifully into a gooey molten filling. The spicy kick from Worcestershire and Tabasco came through loud and clear to my dulled taste buds. It was a wholesome meal that I gladly devoured. Thankfully, the worst is over now and I am back to my healthy self. Training took a backseat for a few days but rest and recovery are just as important. Good timing too because I am traveling to Austin this weekend. So many great eats are waiting for me and I don’t want to miss out with a sniffling nose!
For a very grown up take on tomato soup and grilled cheese, check out Melissa Clark’s column at The New York Times.
