Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tomato Soup

• 4 garlic cloves
  o bien 4 cloves roasted garlic, homemade (see Tip)
• 70 g shallots, in pieces
  o bien 70 g onions, in pieces
• 15 g extra virgin olive oil
• 500 g tomatoes, ripe, quartered (see Tip)
• 15 g tomato paste, (concentrate)
• 225 - 340 g vegetable broth, (optional)
• ½ - 1 tsp paprika, smoked, ground, to taste
• 1 - 2 tsp sugar, to taste
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper, ground, to taste
  o bien ¼ tsp white pepper, ground, to taste
• 6 basil leaves, fresh, plus extra to garnish

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

• 225 g Cheddar cheese, vintage, cut into pieces
• 8 slices sourdough bread
• 2 - 4 tbsp butter, unsalted, to fry
• crushed red pepper, to garnish