Or can you?
That line is from one of my favourite Simpsons episodes ever - the one where Homer barbecues a pig and irritates Lisa the vegetarian. She brings a salad to the barbecue, and Homer and Bart start a conga line singing, "You can't win friends with salad, you can't win friends with salad".
I made a salad last night for my friend's housewarming party that garnered some pretty decent reviews, so I thought I'd put it here in my first salad-related post.
Baby Greens with Beets, Goat Cheese, and Candied Pecans
Candied Pecans
1/4 cup of butter
2 tablespoons brown or golden sugar
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
1 cup of plain pecans
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
In a frying pan, melt the butter. As it bubbles, add the sugar and syrup. Stir to combine. Allow to bubble again for about a minute. Add the pecans. Combine well. Empty the frying pan onto a cookie or baking sheet (line it with tinfoil - saves a lot of effort) and spread the mixture out into a single layer. Put in hot oven for 5 minutes or so. Take pan out of oven and stir the mixture around again. Place back in oven for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven. Select one of the pecans with a spoon, allow it to cool, and then test it to see if it has that toasty, sugary flavour. If yes, they're done. If no, put back in oven for another 2 minutes - just don't let it burn. Remove from pan and put on a dish or piece of waxed paper to cool. They're great to snack on, too.
Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
juice of 1 squeezed lemon, or a scant tablespoon of bottled lemon juice
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dijon mustard or dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (optional)
sugar to taste (some like dressing more sour, others more sweet - start with a scant teaspoon and keep tasting/adding)
Get your whisk out. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard, and optional Herbes. Stir. Add lemon juice. Stir. Slowly pour the white wine vinegar into the mixture, whisking the whole time. Whisk until you've fully emulsified the vinegar with the oil. It will look smooth and a bit shiny. Taste it to see if it's sweet or sour enough for your taste. If too sour, add a bit more sugar. If too sweet, add a bit more vinegar or salt.
Salad
1 box organic baby greens mix (also goes under the name of Spring Mix)
1 cup of beets (you can either roast and peel them yourself, or get a can - either are good options, but canned is obviously faster/less likely to stain your clothes or kitchen)
1/3 cup of sliced or diced red onion
1 small log of goat cheese
1/4 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup candied pecans
3/4 cup dressing
Combine it all and serve.
Feeds about 4 as a main (add some chicken or shrimp to balance it out), or 8 as a starter or side dish.
16 August 2009
08 August 2009
Try Pie
Feeding a crowd? Or just a few?
Most people can enjoy a good pot pie. I helped to feed my boyfriend's extended family last week with a variation on chicken pot pie. This recipe is good for about 8 normal servings, but if you're having it in conjunction with other dishes, it can feed up to 25.
Chicken Pot Pie
8 cooked and diced chicken breasts
4 carrots, chopped into rounds
1 onion, very finely diced
4-6 potatoes (Yukon Gold are so pretty you might as well go for them), washed, unpeeled and diced
1 1/2 cups of frozen or fresh peas
1/2 - 3/4 cup salted butter
4-6 tbs flour
4-6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup of dry white wine (you don't have to use this if you don't cook with wine normally)
1 tbs fresh or dried thyme
sea or kosher salt
fresh black pepper, ground
teeny tiny pinch of saffron if you like it more golden coloured
1 rolled out sheet of puff pastry (I love love love the President's Choice ones which are already rolled out for you, and amazingly tasty - I don't make my own, which may be sacrilegious in the food blog world, but since I can't give you a good recipe, I'll give you a good brand) *the other option here is to cut the puff pastry into circles and use it like dumplings rather than a crust
1 beaten egg
other veggie options (remember, if you add more veggies, add more stock):
turnip, diced
parsnip, diced
celery, chopped
Melt butter in your biggest pot (okay, not like a corn pot, but maybe a bit bigger than a pasta pot) on medium heat. Add flour, stir to make a paste. Let the paste cook till it turns a kind of light brown colour and smells like toasting flour. Set pot aside. You have just made a roux.
In your second largest pot, melt a tablespoon of butter. Add onions, carrots, and potatoes, along with any other vegetables, except for the peas. Do not put the peas in now - they will be mush if you do. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Preheat your oven to whatever temperature your puff pastry box tells you it needs to cook at. The President's Choice one said 375 degrees, I think.
Go back to your first pot. Turn the heat to medium high. Add the chicken stock slowly, combining it thoroughly with the roux. It should look kind of creamy. Bring to a boil. Add white wine. Simmer again. Add vegetables and thyme. Bring back to simmer, then add the diced chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste, and optional saffron. Allow filling ('cause that's what this is) to cook until the potato seems pretty much done - usually 10-15 minutes. Add peas. If you're using fresh, allow filling to simmer for about 5 more minutes. If you're using frozen, allow to simmer for about 3 more minutes.
Pour mixture into a really big casserole dish. Put puff pastry on top, and spread it out to the edges of the dish. Or, if you've cut it into circles, arrange the circles around the casserole dish - none overlapping. Brush the pastry with beaten egg.
Place casserole into oven and bake until the pastry has puffed up beautifully and turned a gorgeous shade of done. This means brown and kind of shiny. If you poke it with a fork, it will shatter in a flurry of flakiness. Remove from oven and let stand for a minute or two. Cut into however many portions you like.
Most people can enjoy a good pot pie. I helped to feed my boyfriend's extended family last week with a variation on chicken pot pie. This recipe is good for about 8 normal servings, but if you're having it in conjunction with other dishes, it can feed up to 25.
Chicken Pot Pie
8 cooked and diced chicken breasts
4 carrots, chopped into rounds
1 onion, very finely diced
4-6 potatoes (Yukon Gold are so pretty you might as well go for them), washed, unpeeled and diced
1 1/2 cups of frozen or fresh peas
1/2 - 3/4 cup salted butter
4-6 tbs flour
4-6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup of dry white wine (you don't have to use this if you don't cook with wine normally)
1 tbs fresh or dried thyme
sea or kosher salt
fresh black pepper, ground
teeny tiny pinch of saffron if you like it more golden coloured
1 rolled out sheet of puff pastry (I love love love the President's Choice ones which are already rolled out for you, and amazingly tasty - I don't make my own, which may be sacrilegious in the food blog world, but since I can't give you a good recipe, I'll give you a good brand) *the other option here is to cut the puff pastry into circles and use it like dumplings rather than a crust
1 beaten egg
other veggie options (remember, if you add more veggies, add more stock):
turnip, diced
parsnip, diced
celery, chopped
Melt butter in your biggest pot (okay, not like a corn pot, but maybe a bit bigger than a pasta pot) on medium heat. Add flour, stir to make a paste. Let the paste cook till it turns a kind of light brown colour and smells like toasting flour. Set pot aside. You have just made a roux.
In your second largest pot, melt a tablespoon of butter. Add onions, carrots, and potatoes, along with any other vegetables, except for the peas. Do not put the peas in now - they will be mush if you do. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Preheat your oven to whatever temperature your puff pastry box tells you it needs to cook at. The President's Choice one said 375 degrees, I think.
Go back to your first pot. Turn the heat to medium high. Add the chicken stock slowly, combining it thoroughly with the roux. It should look kind of creamy. Bring to a boil. Add white wine. Simmer again. Add vegetables and thyme. Bring back to simmer, then add the diced chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste, and optional saffron. Allow filling ('cause that's what this is) to cook until the potato seems pretty much done - usually 10-15 minutes. Add peas. If you're using fresh, allow filling to simmer for about 5 more minutes. If you're using frozen, allow to simmer for about 3 more minutes.
Pour mixture into a really big casserole dish. Put puff pastry on top, and spread it out to the edges of the dish. Or, if you've cut it into circles, arrange the circles around the casserole dish - none overlapping. Brush the pastry with beaten egg.
Place casserole into oven and bake until the pastry has puffed up beautifully and turned a gorgeous shade of done. This means brown and kind of shiny. If you poke it with a fork, it will shatter in a flurry of flakiness. Remove from oven and let stand for a minute or two. Cut into however many portions you like.
22 July 2009
Tri-tipping Point
Tri-tip steak is one of the least-appreciated, most delicious hunks of cow available for general consumption. Cut from the bottom of a sirloin, the tri-tip is an affordable, tasty addition to your usual steak lineup.
I had two of the long, skinny steaks in the freezer awaiting my return to the city, so I defrosted them yesterday and cooked them the French way - salt and pepper, oil, and a cast iron pan. I also made a spicy herbed butter to melt over them, and then roasted some asparagus with a breadcrumb-parmesan crust and served with an easy heirloom tomato salad. All recipes below. No photos - I forgot to take some as I was too excited - my boyfriend just returned from being away for 2 1/2 weeks so last night was a celebratory supper, too. Nothing says "welcome home!" like a good tri-tip and some asparagus.
Spicy, Herby Butter
1/2 cup of good salted butter
1/4 cup Italian parsley
5 chives
1 tbs chili-garlic sauce (the jar with the rooster on it was what I used)
1 tsp lemon juice - just squeeze a lemon quarter and you'll ge the right amount
Stick the parsley, chives, chili-garlic sauce, and lemon juice into a blender and grind as well as you can.
Melt the butter on the stove. Stick it in the freezer for like 3 minutes to let it cool down a bit. Then remove from the freezer and mix the spicy-herby mixture into it until it's all combined really well. Then stick all of it back into the freezer for another few minutes. Take out and whisk again. It should be getting more solid now. You can pour it into ice cube trays or whatever you find easiest - plastic wrap works okay too, as you can make like a little plastic wrap cup to cover your hand and pour the butter into it, then roll it into a log and wrap it up tight. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
Roasted Asparagus with Heirloom Tomato Salad
preheat oven to 400 degrees
20 stalks asparagus
2-3 tbs of breadcrumbs
1 tbs grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs spicy-herby butter (yeah, the stuff you just made)
3-4 heirloom tomatoes
1 small shallot or 1/2 shallot, chopped really small
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tbs good olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Put washed asparagus into casserole dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Cut spicy-herby butter into hunks and put on top of asparagus. Put into oven for 10-15 minutes.
Combine tomatoes, shallots, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper in a bowl and let it sit and mingle.
Remove asparagus from oven. Top with tomato salad.
Tri-tip Steak
however much steak you need/want
sea or kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
vegetable oil
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat up your trusty cast iron pan on medium heat. Add vegetable oil and heat. Carefully lay steak on the cast iron pan. Cook roughly 2-3 minutes each side - tri-tip has is kind of rectangular so it's pretty easy to flip. Once you've done that, put the pan with the meat into the 400 degree oven and cook for a further 5-6 minutes for mediumish (more toward medium-rare) meat.
Remove from heat. Top with 1 tsp of the spicy-herby butter and serve. Butter will melt over the meat.
It's a really good, easy summer supper. Use as many local ingredients as you can - Ontario summers are fantastic for produce.
I had two of the long, skinny steaks in the freezer awaiting my return to the city, so I defrosted them yesterday and cooked them the French way - salt and pepper, oil, and a cast iron pan. I also made a spicy herbed butter to melt over them, and then roasted some asparagus with a breadcrumb-parmesan crust and served with an easy heirloom tomato salad. All recipes below. No photos - I forgot to take some as I was too excited - my boyfriend just returned from being away for 2 1/2 weeks so last night was a celebratory supper, too. Nothing says "welcome home!" like a good tri-tip and some asparagus.
Spicy, Herby Butter
1/2 cup of good salted butter
1/4 cup Italian parsley
5 chives
1 tbs chili-garlic sauce (the jar with the rooster on it was what I used)
1 tsp lemon juice - just squeeze a lemon quarter and you'll ge the right amount
Stick the parsley, chives, chili-garlic sauce, and lemon juice into a blender and grind as well as you can.
Melt the butter on the stove. Stick it in the freezer for like 3 minutes to let it cool down a bit. Then remove from the freezer and mix the spicy-herby mixture into it until it's all combined really well. Then stick all of it back into the freezer for another few minutes. Take out and whisk again. It should be getting more solid now. You can pour it into ice cube trays or whatever you find easiest - plastic wrap works okay too, as you can make like a little plastic wrap cup to cover your hand and pour the butter into it, then roll it into a log and wrap it up tight. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
Roasted Asparagus with Heirloom Tomato Salad
preheat oven to 400 degrees
20 stalks asparagus
2-3 tbs of breadcrumbs
1 tbs grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs spicy-herby butter (yeah, the stuff you just made)
3-4 heirloom tomatoes
1 small shallot or 1/2 shallot, chopped really small
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tbs good olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Put washed asparagus into casserole dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Cut spicy-herby butter into hunks and put on top of asparagus. Put into oven for 10-15 minutes.
Combine tomatoes, shallots, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper in a bowl and let it sit and mingle.
Remove asparagus from oven. Top with tomato salad.
Tri-tip Steak
however much steak you need/want
sea or kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
vegetable oil
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat up your trusty cast iron pan on medium heat. Add vegetable oil and heat. Carefully lay steak on the cast iron pan. Cook roughly 2-3 minutes each side - tri-tip has is kind of rectangular so it's pretty easy to flip. Once you've done that, put the pan with the meat into the 400 degree oven and cook for a further 5-6 minutes for mediumish (more toward medium-rare) meat.
Remove from heat. Top with 1 tsp of the spicy-herby butter and serve. Butter will melt over the meat.
It's a really good, easy summer supper. Use as many local ingredients as you can - Ontario summers are fantastic for produce.
21 July 2009
Keema over here...
So, this is my second attempt at posting this recipe. First time, blogger deleted it and I fumed and nearly gave up on the whole Desperately Seeking Sustenance thing. Today I have some patience and some time, so here we go.
Keema is essentially Indian comfort food. My boyfriend's family has it almost every Saturday night - Mrs. S. works during the day most Saturdays, and so Mr. S. makes keema. According to my boyfriend, keema sustained Mr. S. all through university in Newfoundland - it was quick and tasted like home and could be served with rice. Mr. S's keema is usually made with ground beef.
This recipe is not the one that Mr. S. uses to such great effect, mostly because he was away when I made it and couldn't ask him about it. I used ground pork; I tried to remember the basics of Indian cooking (fry the whole spices! let the tomato mixture bubble until the oil has separated!) and the spices that should be used, and I think it came out quite well.
Pork (or whatever) Keema
1 lb ground meat (pork, chicken, beef...)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbs ginger-garlic paste (buy it - it's easier and tastes exactly the same)
(you're going to have to add the onion to the ginger-garlic paste, run it through a food processor, and essentially make it into an onion-ginger-garlic paste. might as well do that now. we'll wait.)
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 whole black cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbs cumin seed
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
ground black pepper
salt
2 1/2 cups of tomato puree - not paste, puree.
1 cup frozen peas
So, let's get started. Heat your chosen large pan. Add oil. Then add all the whole spices - cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, cumin seed. Cook this until the cumin starts to hiss. Really - you'll know it when you hear it.
Add the onion-ginger-garlic paste and combine with the spices. Cook until it turns a kind of light brown colour.
Add the other spices - turmeric, coriander, dried chili flakes, black pepper, and some salt. You're going to be adjusting the salt later so don't get too hung up on quantities right now. Just throw a shake of it in and you'll be fine. Cook this only for about half a minute.
Add the tomatoes and stir everything into a tomatoey goo. Add a bit of water if you like - maybe half a cup. Cook this for about 3 or 4 minutes until the yellowy oil starts to separate from the tomato.
Add the ground meat. Cook it with the tomatoey goo for about 10 minutes, adding water as necessary. Lots of people enjoy a tonne of sauce, so you may want to go for more water. Add the peas toward the end of the process, stirring through. Peas need about 4-5 minutes to cook with the meat and sauce.
As mentioned previously, this can be served with rice for a very very easy supper, or with roti or naan if you feel like putting more effort in.
Keema is essentially Indian comfort food. My boyfriend's family has it almost every Saturday night - Mrs. S. works during the day most Saturdays, and so Mr. S. makes keema. According to my boyfriend, keema sustained Mr. S. all through university in Newfoundland - it was quick and tasted like home and could be served with rice. Mr. S's keema is usually made with ground beef.
This recipe is not the one that Mr. S. uses to such great effect, mostly because he was away when I made it and couldn't ask him about it. I used ground pork; I tried to remember the basics of Indian cooking (fry the whole spices! let the tomato mixture bubble until the oil has separated!) and the spices that should be used, and I think it came out quite well.
Pork (or whatever) Keema
1 lb ground meat (pork, chicken, beef...)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbs ginger-garlic paste (buy it - it's easier and tastes exactly the same)
(you're going to have to add the onion to the ginger-garlic paste, run it through a food processor, and essentially make it into an onion-ginger-garlic paste. might as well do that now. we'll wait.)
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 whole black cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbs cumin seed
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
ground black pepper
salt
2 1/2 cups of tomato puree - not paste, puree.
1 cup frozen peas
So, let's get started. Heat your chosen large pan. Add oil. Then add all the whole spices - cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, cumin seed. Cook this until the cumin starts to hiss. Really - you'll know it when you hear it.
Add the onion-ginger-garlic paste and combine with the spices. Cook until it turns a kind of light brown colour.
Add the other spices - turmeric, coriander, dried chili flakes, black pepper, and some salt. You're going to be adjusting the salt later so don't get too hung up on quantities right now. Just throw a shake of it in and you'll be fine. Cook this only for about half a minute.
Add the tomatoes and stir everything into a tomatoey goo. Add a bit of water if you like - maybe half a cup. Cook this for about 3 or 4 minutes until the yellowy oil starts to separate from the tomato.
Add the ground meat. Cook it with the tomatoey goo for about 10 minutes, adding water as necessary. Lots of people enjoy a tonne of sauce, so you may want to go for more water. Add the peas toward the end of the process, stirring through. Peas need about 4-5 minutes to cook with the meat and sauce.
As mentioned previously, this can be served with rice for a very very easy supper, or with roti or naan if you feel like putting more effort in.
05 June 2009
Super Simple Salsa
My significant other's sister is graduating from teacher's college today... congratulations to her!
She is having a post-graduation ceremony party today, and asked if I would mind bringing a couple of appetizers. So I decided to bring guacamole (recipe from a previous post) and warm goat cheese coated in crushed almonds and peppercorns, and some extraordinarily simple homemade salsa that tastes like a lot more effort than it actually is.
Salsa (kind of more like pureed pico de gallo, really)
8 to 10 tomatoes, seeded and torn apart
2 tablespoons roughly chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, also roughly chopped (notice a trend here?)
few stalks of cilantro - take leaves off and use those. you can add a bit of the actual stalk if you want a stronger flavour.
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients, then, using an immersion blender, puree everything until it has the consistency you desire. It will not be thick - it isn't meant to be. Taste - add more salt if necessary, and/or just add more of whatever you like the most.
Cover and let sit for at least a few hours - better if you let it sit for a day or so to let everything mingle and establish relationships.
It's good - fresh-tasting and simple for a barbecue. Yea for summertime simplicity!
She is having a post-graduation ceremony party today, and asked if I would mind bringing a couple of appetizers. So I decided to bring guacamole (recipe from a previous post) and warm goat cheese coated in crushed almonds and peppercorns, and some extraordinarily simple homemade salsa that tastes like a lot more effort than it actually is.
Salsa (kind of more like pureed pico de gallo, really)
8 to 10 tomatoes, seeded and torn apart
2 tablespoons roughly chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, also roughly chopped (notice a trend here?)
few stalks of cilantro - take leaves off and use those. you can add a bit of the actual stalk if you want a stronger flavour.
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients, then, using an immersion blender, puree everything until it has the consistency you desire. It will not be thick - it isn't meant to be. Taste - add more salt if necessary, and/or just add more of whatever you like the most.
Cover and let sit for at least a few hours - better if you let it sit for a day or so to let everything mingle and establish relationships.
It's good - fresh-tasting and simple for a barbecue. Yea for summertime simplicity!
22 May 2009
Lobster and bacon, together at last
Man, a month can go by so quickly! May has just flown by.
Last night I made a pleasant supper for two - my best friend came downtown to spend the evening with me. Lobsters are abundant and (relatively) inexpensive right now, so I seized the moment and made...
Lobster Linguine
cooked linguine (enough for 3 medium servings, or 2 large servings)
one 1lb cooked lobster, cracked with meat taken out and diced
two strips of bacon, diced
1/8-1/4 cup of brandy
3/4 cup frozen peas (fresh would probably be okay too, they're just not available here in May)
3/4 cup 35% whipping cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
chopped fresh chives
Heat a frying pan. Add diced bacon and fry till crispy. Drain fat except for about 1 teaspoon - allow to remain in pan with bacon. Add brandy and allow to simmer for a minute or so. Add frozen peas to pan with brandy, bacon and fat, and saute for about a minute and a half, until tender. Add whipping cream and bring to a boil - allow to simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Then, add lobster and half-and-half. Bring it all up to a boil and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add sauce to cooked linguine and toss. Plate. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
The pasta has a nice salty-sweet taste from the bacon, brandy, peas and lobster. The chives brighten things up a little bit. The cream isn't crazy heavy-tasting, so you wind up with a kind of business-casual supper that is quite pleasant for spring/early summer.
Last night I made a pleasant supper for two - my best friend came downtown to spend the evening with me. Lobsters are abundant and (relatively) inexpensive right now, so I seized the moment and made...
Lobster Linguine
cooked linguine (enough for 3 medium servings, or 2 large servings)
one 1lb cooked lobster, cracked with meat taken out and diced
two strips of bacon, diced
1/8-1/4 cup of brandy
3/4 cup frozen peas (fresh would probably be okay too, they're just not available here in May)
3/4 cup 35% whipping cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
chopped fresh chives
Heat a frying pan. Add diced bacon and fry till crispy. Drain fat except for about 1 teaspoon - allow to remain in pan with bacon. Add brandy and allow to simmer for a minute or so. Add frozen peas to pan with brandy, bacon and fat, and saute for about a minute and a half, until tender. Add whipping cream and bring to a boil - allow to simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Then, add lobster and half-and-half. Bring it all up to a boil and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add sauce to cooked linguine and toss. Plate. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
The pasta has a nice salty-sweet taste from the bacon, brandy, peas and lobster. The chives brighten things up a little bit. The cream isn't crazy heavy-tasting, so you wind up with a kind of business-casual supper that is quite pleasant for spring/early summer.
01 May 2009
The Spanish Sandwich
Well, it's actually no such thing... but since two of the the 5 ingredients in this toasty, melty sandwich are of Spanish extraction, and the sound of "Spanish" and "sandwich" together made my ears happy, I decided to title this post as such.
Anyway, I made this in about 10 minutes over my lunch hour yesterday. I toasted everything in the oven because I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to things being thoroughly toasted.
2 slices bread - I used some called Country Harvest because that was what I had. It would undoubtedly be delicious with something from the bakery, like a grain bread or even just a plain white Italian loaf.
3/4 cup grated Manchego cheese
1 1/2 slices of thinly sliced Serrano ham
fig jam or tapenade (onion jam works too, and red pepper jelly might even be a nice taste)
butter
Turn broiler on in oven (500 degrees), and position rack to middle.
Butter one side of both pieces of bread. Put into oven until desired level of toastedness is reached. Remove.
Place Serrano ham on the toasted side of one piece of bread. Spread other toasted side piece with fig jam/tapenade/whatever, and then cover bread/spread with grated Manchego. Place back in oven until cheese has melted and ham has crisped slightly. Remove.
Place two sides of bread together - sandwich them, if you will, untoasted sides out. Place back under broiler to toast one side. Flip, then toast the other.
It's salty and sweet and pretty great for a fast meal. I ate it with some tomatoes dressed with a tiny bit of balsamic.
If you're not as interested in things being perfectly toasted on every side, then doing this like a traditional grilled cheese in a pan with butter is totally fine.
Anyway, I made this in about 10 minutes over my lunch hour yesterday. I toasted everything in the oven because I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to things being thoroughly toasted.
2 slices bread - I used some called Country Harvest because that was what I had. It would undoubtedly be delicious with something from the bakery, like a grain bread or even just a plain white Italian loaf.
3/4 cup grated Manchego cheese
1 1/2 slices of thinly sliced Serrano ham
fig jam or tapenade (onion jam works too, and red pepper jelly might even be a nice taste)
butter
Turn broiler on in oven (500 degrees), and position rack to middle.
Butter one side of both pieces of bread. Put into oven until desired level of toastedness is reached. Remove.
Place Serrano ham on the toasted side of one piece of bread. Spread other toasted side piece with fig jam/tapenade/whatever, and then cover bread/spread with grated Manchego. Place back in oven until cheese has melted and ham has crisped slightly. Remove.
Place two sides of bread together - sandwich them, if you will, untoasted sides out. Place back under broiler to toast one side. Flip, then toast the other.
It's salty and sweet and pretty great for a fast meal. I ate it with some tomatoes dressed with a tiny bit of balsamic.
If you're not as interested in things being perfectly toasted on every side, then doing this like a traditional grilled cheese in a pan with butter is totally fine.
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