Tomato soup with roasted peppers and tomato and smoked mozzarella panini

Ingredients:

• 2 large red bell peppers
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into pieces
• 2 small stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can (800 g) or 2 cans (425 g) of canned fried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 ball (450 g) smoked mozzarella, cut into 16 thin slices
• 1 large ripe tomato, cut into 8 thin slices
• 8 slices Tuscan bread
• 0.5 cup fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Char the peppers on all sides over an open flame on a gas stovetop or in the oven using the broiler setting (keep the oven door slightly ajar to prevent steam from building up). Place the charred peppers in a bowl, cover, and let them rest until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and onion; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a food processor along with the diced canned tomatoes. Peel and seed the roasted peppers and add them to the food processor. Blend the soup until smooth, then pour everything back into the saucepan and stir in the broth.
3. Heat a panini press or a large, heavy griddle. Make sandwiches by layering 2 slices of cheese and 2 slices of ripe tomato on 4 slices of bread. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and top with some torn basil. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread and place the sandwiches in the panini press or hot griddle. If using a griddle, place a second, smaller griddle on top and weight it down with cans. Press down on the sandwiches to toast the bread and melt the cheese. Cook for a few minutes on each side or 5 minutes on the griddle.
4. Serve the soup with hot paninis.