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Special guest star

Master chef Marc Vetri sweeps into class, running a tight but friendly kitchen on grilled cheese and tomato soup day.

Amber Wiggins (left) and Bethany Swan get a quick lesson from chef Marc Vetri on how to score a zucchini for grilling. Vetri helped instruct "My Daughter's Kitchen" cooking class at the Free Library of Philadelphia, and taught a kitchen good-luck trick involving flying salt. (C.F. SANCHEZ / Staff Photographer)
Amber Wiggins (left) and Bethany Swan get a quick lesson from chef Marc Vetri on how to score a zucchini for grilling. Vetri helped instruct "My Daughter's Kitchen" cooking class at the Free Library of Philadelphia, and taught a kitchen good-luck trick involving flying salt. (C.F. SANCHEZ / Staff Photographer)Read more

'So why aren't we making real grilled cheese?" said chef Marc Vetri, who was visiting our after-school cooking class.

"Well, we're going for something healthier," I said. Baked whole-wheat pitas stuffed with cheese and homemade tomato soup - a reinvention of the classic pairing.

"You think these are healthy?" he said, grabbing the pitas and reading off the offensive ingredients: preservatives, enzymes, gluten.

"So, what kind of bread should I buy in a grocery store?" I asked.

"You can't buy bread in the grocery store," he said flatly. "You buy artisanal bread. Or bake your own."

For Marc Vetri, there are clear rules: You do things right. You don't take shortcuts. And you dare not try to pass bread wrapped in plastic as a good choice.

The master chef and restaurateur, with seven Italian restaurants in the region, lent his support to our healthy-cooking classes by coming to cook with the 10-year-olds from Russell Byers Charter School at the Free Library of Philadelphia kitchen last week.

The man was a force of nature in the kitchen, clearly in his element, never standing still, pitching in to demonstrate how to hold a knife, how to cut a tomato, how to chop an onion, how to score a zucchini. Even how to ward off bad luck: "It's very important to take a pinch of salt, sprinkle it lightly . . . and then throw the rest over your shoulder - for good luck," he said, as salt crystals flew through the air and the children erupted in giggles.

Even though the kids had no idea they were in the presence of one of the best chefs in the country, they clearly sensed his talent. Bethany Swan and Amber Wiggins stood watching him move his knife through an onion so quickly and skillfully that his hands became a blur.

"Wow," was all that Bethany could muster, her mouth hanging open.

Amber was marginally more eloquent: "You chop . . . fast," she said, her eyes transfixed.

He made it all look so effortless: "Wait, let me show you how to do this," he said lifting a can of crushed tomatoes, and BAM, slamming it down on a head of garlic, causing the papery outer skin to magically fall away.

But he also made it clear that pampering is not in his DNA. As onion-chopping began and some kids whined about watery eyes, he was asked if he had any strategies to avoid tears.

"Nope," he said, unapologetically. "The faster you slice, the quicker you're done."

"Uh, Marc, maybe that's advice for when they're more proficient with the knife?" I said.

And God forbid you didn't clean up the scraps after chopping your vegetable: "Who didn't clean up here?" he barked. "That's a basic rule. You clean up as you go."

No one 'fessed up, but the scraps vanished.

We needed to cut and roast the plum tomatoes before they were added to the soup, and Vetri explained why: "In the summertime, you know how the tomatoes are all red and juicy and ripe? Their sugars are at their highest content; that's why they taste so good. This time of year, tomatoes are more water than flavor. So we roast them to concentrate the flavor, to get the most flavor out of them."

Our recipe called for chopped zucchini in the tomato soup, but the kids voted to make the soup smooth like the canned version they were used to. So, on the spot, Vetri came up with a recipe for the zucchini we left out: halve them lengthwise, score the flat side with crisscross lines, cook in a cast-iron skillet, and drizzle with vinaigrette with a little fresh mint.

Once the onions were sweated for the soup, the chicken stock and crushed tomatoes were added to the pot, and then the roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic. Next, the soup was buzzed with an immersion blender and tasted.

Dennis Morrison Wesley 3d and Dayanna Shomo thought it could use salt. "A little salt wouldn't hurt it," Vetri agreed, and the two stood a little taller with the recognition that their suggestion was accepted by the chef.

We struggled to open the pockets of the pita, so we just put the grated cheese on top and popped them in the oven to melt. Dennis, a committed vegetable hater, and picky eater to boot, for once was excited. "Yummmy, yum, yum, yummy" he sang, as he danced around, waiting for the cheese to melt.

As we finally all sat down to eat, Dayanna was so impressed with the zucchini she said it looked like something she might get at Aldo Lamberti, a restaurant in Cherry Hill not quite as renowned as the ones Vetri runs. But the chef took it well. "I like Aldo, he's a good guy."

Dennis still refused to try the lovely zucchini that the other kids were scarfing down.

"Do you know how much that plate of zucchini would be in one of Vetri's restaurants?" I said. "You owe it to yourself to try it."

He didn't budge.

"Wait a minute," Vetri said. "You won't eat vegetables. What do you think you're eating right now?" he asked as Dennis spooned tomato soup into his mouth.

"A fruit," said Dennis, referring to the tomatoes.

"OK, you got me," Vetri said. "But what about the onions in there?" he countered.

"There's onions in here?" Dennis asked. "I guess I just don't like raw onions."

"I bet I could make a lot of vegetables you would like," Vetri said.

But Dennis, helping himself to a second bowl, had a more pressing question for the chef: "Hey, did your parents ever ground you?"

"Oh Lord," said Vetri. "I think I am the reason that word is here. I think it was invented for me."

And that, along with the warm soup, seemed to give Dennis great comfort.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Makes 6 servings

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1 pound roma tomatoes, cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 head garlic

1 white onion, peeled and chopped

1/2 tablespoon dry basil, or 1/2 bunch fresh

2 cups chicken stock (water may be substituted)

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

Vinegar to taste

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1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, toss roma tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Season with salt. Spread on sheet pan lined with parchment paper, flesh side up. Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

2. To cook the head of garlic, smash the entire head with the flat bottom of the can of tomatoes. Most of the skins will fall away. Peel individual cloves and place in a small saucepan. Add enough olive oil to generously cover and cook over low heat while the tomatoes are roasting, about 20 minutes, but watch so it doesn't burn.

3. To start the soup, heat large pasta pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, heat for 3 minutes, and add onion with ½ tablespoon dry basil. If you are using fresh, you will add that in at the end of recipe. Sweat until translucent. Add cooked garlic to pan and a bit of the infused olive oil and stir to incorporate. Add roasted roma tomatoes followed by chicken stock and crushed tomatoes. Cook for about 25 minutes.

4. Taste the soup and decide if you feel it's too tart or too sweet. If too tart, add ½ tablespoon sugar and incorporate completely before tasting again. Add in ½-tablespoon increments until you are happy with the balance. If it's too sweet, add ½ tablespoon of vinegar; stir to incorporate completely before tasting again. Use this technique for most (fresh or canned) tomato recipes to balance flavor.

5. Pulse soup with immersion blender, making sure tomatoes are not left in big chunks. Puree to desired texture.

6. To serve, ladle soup into bowls.

Per serving: 288 calories, 10 grams protein, 54 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams sugar, 6 grams fat, no cholesterol, 567 milligrams sodium, 14 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Cheesy Paprika Pitas

Makes 6 servings

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1 package of whole wheat pitas (6)

8 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, grated

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon paprika

Salt to taste

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cut each pita in half, then fill with the grated cheese. Brush each sparingly with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and a tiny sprinkle of salt.

3. Lay pitas on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place in oven on center rack and toast for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice into wedges and serve.

Per serving: 263 calories, 12 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, no sugar, 16 grams fat, 27 milligrams cholesterol, 414 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.EndText

My Daughter's Kitchen

The mission. To teach schoolchildren to cook healthy, easy meals on a budget.

The reach. Volunteers are teaching 13 classes in Philadelphia and Camden, with intent to expand.

The partner. Vetri Foundation shares the goal of encouraging healthy eating for children.

To support. Send donations to Vetri Foundation for Children, 1113 Admiral Peary Way, Quarters N, Philadelphia 19112; note "My Daughter's Kitchen"; or go to vetrifoundation.org.

To participate. Submit recipes to be considered: Simple, 500-calorie, nutritious meals, prepared in under an hour, for $20 or less for six servings. Send recipes to Food@philly.com.

www.philly.com/mydaughter.