Grilled Cheddar and Ham

Today’s selection is ham, sharp cheddar cheese, and dill pickle on homemade bread smeared with Johnny Walker’s Mustard #7.   I think you get the picture.

Coming soon: Gouda, Jarlsberg, Gruyère, Pepper Jack…  grilled chicken and pineapple, turkey and cranberry, steak and red peppers…

Larrupin!

Grilled Cheese Month: Tuna

Today I used tuna for my grilled cheese lunch. Pretty darn tasty!

I started with one over-sized slice of bread and cut it in half.

 

Next, honey mustard went on both pieces of bread.  This sandwich turned out a bit sweet, so next time I would switch to Dijon or a less sweet variety of honey mustard.

 

 

I put mozzarella on one slice of bread and cheddar on the other slice.

 

 

 

 

 

A dill pickle went on one side, and I carefully piled well-drained chunk tuna on the other side.

 

 

 

 

I topped the tuna with more grated cheese before putting the sandwich together.

 

 

 

The griddle was about “just right” hot, so it was time to add a puddle of olive oil. Both sides of the sandwich were smeared in oil before I left it to cook for a few minutes.

 

 

 

 

Look at that perfect golden brown toastiness!

 

The chunk tuna made this a little more fragile, so I had a fork handy for the droppings.

 

 

Banana peppers would be a tasty addition but I’m out right now. And it needs something red. A sprinkle of pimento, or roasted red peppers would be just the ticket!

Of course you can make this full-sized for a hearty eater, but I’m trying to behave myself these days.

 

 

Larrupin!

 

April is Grilled Cheese Month

I love a grilled cheese sandwich.

The most random ingredients can be stacked up between cheese and bread, placed on an iron skillet for a few minutes and taste magnifico!

My most recent grilled cheese was: French bread smeared with honey mustard, topped with Gruyère, Cajun turkey, bread and butter pickles, then more Cajun turkey, more Gruyère and topped with another slice of bread with more honey mustard.  That was a couple of days ago.

A couple of weeks ago I made this ham and cheese. I used Dijon mustard, Gruyère, ham, and dill sandwich sliced pickles. Pickles provide an unexpected pop of flavor to the traditional grilled cheese. The cheese isn’t oozing out of this one, but it’s melted just enough to hold everything together.

Instead of smearing this with butter—which I totally love—I poured a significant puddle of olive oil on the hot griddle. I plopped the sandwich in the middle of the oil and quickly flipped it to soak the other side before leaving it alone to grill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My 12″ square iron griddle makes it easy to cut the sandwich while it’s still on the heat so I can see how melty the cheese is. If I let the heat get too high (darn electric stove!) and it’s browning faster than it’s melting, I’ll turn it frequently so I can keep it on the heat longer. I’ll also cover it with a large lid propped on the side of the griddle. An over sized lid will hold the heat in but also let the steam escape so the bread will continue to crisp.

Larrupin!

Pancetta Egg Sandwich

I’m out of bacon, so this morning I opened up the pancetta and made a pancetta egg sandwich on French bread. It’s lightly grilled with a slice of melty provolone inside.
I started by frying two slices of pancetta in a fairly large iron skillet. When it shrank enough for me to scoot it to the side, I put a slice of French bread in the pan to toast lightly. I traded it out with the other slice of bread after a few minutes. The cheese went on the bread while it was in the pan.
The pancetta came out when it was brown and crispy on both sides. It went immediately on top of the melty cheese.
A dab of fresh olive oil went into the skillet and I cracked the egg into the puddle of cool oil. It bubbled and popped while the bread kept warm on the other side of the skillet. I like my egg sunny-side up, but for egg sandwiches I usually go over easy so the yolks aren’t so fragile. When the egg was nearly done, I gently broke the yolk so some of it could ooze out and cook. I made sure the center was still jiggly with a runny center when I piled the egg on top of the pancetta.
Larrapin!
It’s not on a heart healthy or low-salt diet, but every once in a while it sure is tasty!
Some options that would have been good include a thin spread of mayo; avocado slices; maybe some thinly sliced sauteed mushrooms… A thin slice of a tomato fresh from the garden sprinkled with fresh graded parmesan and a splash of balsamic vinegar would also hit the spot.
You could also make this with bacon, and switch out the cheese to what sounds good to you.
Mmmmm. What sounds good to you?

Sirloin Panini

I haunt the markdown sections of the grocery store and take advantage of good cuts of meat when they are marked down. Ribs, steaks, pork loin, brisket, all sorts of meats are frequently available after a heavily promoted sale. I pick up packages of sirloin steak when I come across them.

If I’m not going to use it within a day or two I’ll cut the steak in very thin slices and pack separate handfuls in Press n Seal storage wrap and freeze it. Then when I’m in the mood for steak I’ll take a portion out and defrost it in the microwave for a few minutes and then make my sandwich or salad.

Here’s how I made this one.

• Sirloin steak in a marinade of balsamic vinegar and herb blend
• Sliced red peppers and purple onion
• Provolone cheese
• Artisan Bread from Target

First cut the bread in half and toast it in a puddle of olive oil on a hot iron griddle.

Next saute the peppers and onions on the same griddle until softened. Move them to the side and put the steak on the griddle with the marinade. Place the toasted bread face down on the pile of meat and vegetables to steam and keep warm.

After a few minutes, it won’t take long, build the sandwich by covering each slice of bread with provolone cheese. Add a generous pile of meat and vegetables and place the sandwich back on the griddle. Use a bacon press or an iron skillet to press the sandwich to flatten. Turn after a few minutes to brown on both sides.
Cut the sandwich into quarters while still on the grill and serve with balsamic vinegar for dipping.