Southwest Grilled Cheese

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I made this sandwich to go with my spicy chipotle tomato soup. It needed balance and a grilled cheese is perfect for that. The soup included poblano pepper in the mirepoix and I thought it would be nice to tie the sandwich to the soup by including poblano in a relish to go on the sandwich.

Along with the pepper, the relish also features caramelized onions, corn, lime and cilantro, which combine to provide the southwestern element to the grilled cheese. The relish would be a nice accompaniment to a steak or make a nice side dish in general. I use shredded Monterrey jack cheese rather than slices so that the relish and cheese would melt together like pizza toppings inside the sandwich. I’m sure slices would been just fine, but I knew the shredded cheese would guarantee the gooey binder I was looking for.

This was the first time I had tried a relish mixture inside of a grilled cheese. Overall it worked really well, adding flavor and giving extra texture to the sandwich. I dipped this into the soup and gobbled down two by myself, which probably suggests that I liked the final product.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Southwest Grilled Cheese

I have been reluctant to do sandwiches for the blog out of pure laziness. The layer by layer breakdown is a lot of work to create, so initially I tend to grimace when I think of creating a sandwich here, but in this case I absolutely had to. The tomato soup needed a grilled cheese to complete its culinary destiny. I could find a simpler way to present it, but to stay true to the overall style and presentation of my recipes, the layer by layer stack is the most effective to present a grilled cheese.

This is the best layer by layer presentation so far. My best effort before this was a patty melt back in April. After putting this together I realized it wasn’t as much work as I had thought, so I hope to do unique sandwiches here at the blog a little more often.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Southwest Grilled Cheese

Makes 8 sandwiches; 45 minutes
1 C Red onion diced
1 C Poblano pepper, seeded, diced
1 can Sweet corn, seeded, diced
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tbs Fresh cilantro
1/2 C Mayo
16 slices Bread
4 C Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Make relish
In a sauté pan over medium heat cook onions in a little olive oil until soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Add corn and poblano pepper, cook until pepper is soft and corn is heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.

Make sandwiches
Spread a thin layer of mayo on sides of bread to be grilled. Layer shredded cheese, scoop of relish, more shredded cheese and top piece of bread. Repeat 8 times. Grill sandwiches until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, flipping half way through. Then serve.

Grilled Ham and Colby-Jack Cheese

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What could be better than a grilled cheese? A grilled HAM and cheese! When I was in high school I worked near a small diner and I loved their grilled ham and cheese. I would have ordered them all the time if they served three per order. I could destroy one in about 20 seconds and I was always left wanting more. I would get them as a snack and they were one of my favorite items on the menu.

When I make them at home I usually make at least two. The first goes down in record time and then I can savor and enjoy the second. I don’t know what it is, but I just seem to devour these little guys like a hyena devouring a wildebeest on the Serenghetti plain.

Instead of going with American cheese I decided to get creative and I went with colby-jack, which added an extra flavor element to the final product and really just inspired me to eat the first one even quicker. Also, I use thin slices of ham, which is key - a slice too thick gets in the way of the creamy cheese. Maybe I should experiment with bigger slices of ham just to make them last longer than 30 seconds.

BEHIND THIS BITE

The first sami didn't last long enough for a photo.

Over the weekend the family was out at the campground for a Saturday afternoon dinner. I decided to make a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches to contribute. I have a new camp chef stove with a griddle attachment and I was itching to put it to use. Needless to say the grilled cheese went over like new toys on Christmas morning. Each one I made I cut into quarters turning them into finger food. The kids inhaled them and most of the adults grabbed a couple for a snack. I made some with cheddar cheese and some with a new cheese, chipotle pepper jack that was really tasty. I think the campground grilled cheese might become a tradition.

After dinner was over, the golden brown crust I had on the sandwiches became a topic of discussion. Most thought I had used butter and were surprised to learn I had used mayo. It’s the only way to toast your bread!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Divide for 4 sandwiches
1/4 C Mayonnaise
8 slices Bread
16 slices Colby-Jack cheese
12 slice Ham, cut thin

Spread a thin layer of mayo on side of bread to be grilled. Layer 2 slices of cheese, 3 ham slices, 2 more slice of cheese and top piece of bread. Repeat 4 times. Grill sandwiches until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, flipping half way through. Then serve.

Pizza Grilled Cheese

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If you like pizza, you will like pizza grilled cheese.

Seriously, I was as impressed with this as I am with a hot slice of pepperoni pizza from a pizza joint. The pizza grilled cheese was a little more portable and finger food friendly though.

This will easily be your kids favorite lunch and it might replace pizza night every once in a while. The crispy toasted bread is an excellent replacement for traditional pizza crust and everything else is the same, so it’s not that far off from a real slice of pie.

Using mayo on the surface of the bread that will touch the hot griddle is an absolute must if your making grilled cheese. For years I used butter and then I read a tip in a magazine that said to use mayo. Hands down, the mayo is the best way to get that golden brown crispy bread, just like the diner. The mayo provides a little grease, but that grease is flavor and it’s the only way to make grilled cheese sandwiches on the griddle.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I had two of these left over (after eating two of them myself) and to my surprise my mom ate both. She had one for lunch on two different days - not two in one sitting. She wrapped one up and put it in the fridge for the next day after eating the first one while it was still warm.

I was surprised that she ate them.

She has been very dedicated to weight watchers for the last two years and has really slimmed down. Part of that is not eating things like pizza grilled cheese, but weight watchers does allow a little splurging. To stay true though, she needed to make up for it at another meal. She thought these were tasty enough to cut points else where.

I thought they were really good when I ate them, but the fact that she was willing to eat them TWICE really tells the true story of how tasty these are.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Divide for 4 sandwiches
1/4 C Mayonnaise
8 slices Bread
8 slices Mozzarella cheese
1/4 C Pizza sauce
36 slices Pepperoni

Assemble, grill
Spread a thin layer of mayo on side of bread to be grilled. Layer slice of cheese, 9 pepperoni slices, a tablespoon of pizza sauce, 1 more slice of cheese and top piece of bread. Repeat 4 times. Grill sandwiches until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, flipping half way through. Then serve.

Italian Sausage Patty Melts

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My Mom has always been a big fan of patty melts and she is responsible for introducing me to these yummy delights. She has waited tables part-time for years and she has probably served about 37,000 of them. I was young when she introduced them to me and whenever I get hungry for one I think about being a kid at the local diner and Mom suggesting it for lunch to me for the first time.

I think of patty melts as grilled cheese sandwiches with a meat patty tucked inside.

I think they’re awesome.

I have some rules for patty melts:

• Never eat one at a fancy place, they have to be served at a typical mom and pop diner and should require lots of napkins.

• When the sandwich is touched, there should be an ultra-thin layer of grease left on the finger tips that will leave an annoying grease-fingerprint on any object touched.

• Grilled onions aren’t required but one without is like a salad without dressing.

• Finally, there must be lots of cheese, more than a typical cheeseburger. Almost a burger with double cheese – not a double cheeseburger – a double cheese single burger!

Those are my rules.

Instead of beef for this patty melt I used Italian sausage. Combined with the onions and provolone it was spectacular. I ate two of them myself. Had I not been feeding others, I might have destroyed another half sandwich, thank God more people were eating.

BEHIND THIS BITE

This is the first time I have designed a recipe with a black background and white text. Usually there is too much writing in a typical recipe to do this. There is only so much type a person can read in that style without it starting to mess with their eyes.

This, and the next recipe, are an exception and something new. I love the look and will try to incorporate it more. I think it will work best with sandwiches and pizza, or recipes that don’t include as much written instructions.

It’s always good to experiment when it comes to design and presentation, it might be the start of a new trend, or I may say to myself in a couple of weeks “What the hell was I thinking!” For now, I think it’s cool.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
4 sandwiches; 30 minutes
1/4 C Mayonnaise
8 slices Bread
16 slices Provolone cheese
1 C Caramelized onions
4 patties Cooked Italian sausage (1l4 lb each)

Spread a thin layer of mayo on sides of bread to be grilled. Layer 2 slices cheese, 1 sausage patty, a 1/4 of the onions, 2 more slices of cheese and top piece of bread. Grill sandwiches over medium heat until it's golden brown on each side and cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Then serve.

Grilled Mushroom and Swiss Cheese

Printable version

In my house growing up, my Mom always referred to a grilled cheese sandwich as “cheese toasty.” It wasn’t until I was 23 years-old and living in New York City that I realized the rest of the world had a different name for them.

I was in the cafeteria at my first job when I ordered a cheese toasty and the cook had no idea what I was talking about. I described it and he realized I wanted a grilled cheese. I got my sandwich and a Mountain Dew. I went to the checkout lady and said, “just a cheese toasty and a pop.” On the East coast “pop” is “soda.” The young lady at the registered laughed at my hysterically. Then  she said, “You mean a soda and grilled cheese?” I agreed.     From that day forward, every time I went to the cafeteria and the young lady was working, she would say upon seeing me, “Hey Pops want a cheese toasty!” Then bust out in laughter.

For this recipe, I make a gourmet cheese toasty with mushrooms and swiss cheese,
a decadent reminder of my Midwestern roots.

BEHIND THIS BITE
The first couple of years living in New York were a huge learning experience for me. They would have been a learning experience anywhere in the world because I was learning how to be an adult in the real world, which is a change from being an adult on a college campus. New York was the ultimate test. I made it through and ended up spending 12 and a half years of my life there.

I still love the city and its energy and hope to spend more time there in the future. What they say is really true, “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” Because anywhere else seems to be easier, or slower paced – in America that is.

New York is one thing, I’m not sure if I have what it takes to make it in Kandahar, Afghanistan or Islamabad, Pakistan - If the local Taliban were to discover a Star Wars collection like mine they may throw me in prison for false idol worship.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 2 sandwiches; 15 minutes
2 Tbs Mayonnaise (spread thin on bread)
4 slices Bread
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 oz Mushrooms, cooked

Assemble sandwiches
Spread mayonnaise on bread. (side that will contact hot surface) On bottom slice stack swiss cheese, mushrooms, another slice of cheese and top piece of bread. Repeat.

Toast, serve
Place sandwiches on griddle over medium high heat and toast until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted, turning once. Remove from heat and serve.