Bwog Chopped is back after a long hiatus with Internal Editor Britt Fossum attempting to create a culinary masterpiece out of the bare cabinets of our Arts Editor. This week’s recipe is for those with a strong constitution and an excess of tomato soup.

Pappa al Pomodoro al Bwog

I was told that all I would have to work with as ingredients today would be a 12 pack of Campbell’s tomato soup and some (high quality) vinegar and my wits. It turns out that my wits saved the day: I noticed an abandoned plate of deli sandwiches and a handful of ketchup packets on the table that proved to be key components of a “Pappa al Pomodoro” style soup served with cheesy toast. This is good comfort food for when you are seriously desperate, lazy, or procrastinating studying during finals week.

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools:

• One can Campbell’s tomato soup
• Tomato paste (if you’ve got some) or 8 ketchup packets (if you don’t)
• One packet easy mac cheese powder
• 2.5 abandoned deli sandwiches with cheese, tomatoes, and cold cuts
• The dregs of a package of dry roasted edamame
• Good olive oil and vinegar that Ina Garten would approve of
• One spoon
• Grater
• Microwaveable bowl

Recipe:

• Pick apart the sandwiches that you found laying on a table in Schapiro. Discard the meat and lettuce, keep the cheese/bread/tomatoes (ed note: this was when our staunch Arts Editor ducked out saying, “I can’t look at food that looks funny.” his loss.)
• Chop the tomatoes finely and mix with some salt and vinegar to marinate.
• Grate all three bottom halves of the sandwich rolls into your bowl and one of the top halves. Try to avoid slicing off a finger and discard any chunks of bread that are too soggy. Mix with the packet of cheese powder for depth of flavor.
• Open one can of tomato soup and pour directly into bowl. Add olive oil by the Bwog shotglass until the mixture is smooth. Using olive oil instead of water helps disguise the MSG flavor of the canned tomato soup.
• Microwave on high for 3 minutes, covered with a bit of paper towel to avoid splattering.
• While the soup is heating up, turn the oven on pre-heating. Arrange the two remaining pieces of bread on a napkin and lightly brush with olive oil. Arrange the pieces of cheese salvaged from the sandwich to cover the entire surface of the bread. Place directly on oven rack.
• Remove soup from microwave and stir. Stir in marinated tomatoes and heat for another 2 minutes until it reaches the temperature of molten lava.
• Remove cheese toast from oven either when lightly browned on top or when you start smelling burning cheese.
• Garnish soup with a bit of olive oil and a small handful of roasted edamame, for crunch. Artfully place cheese toast on top.