Grilled Cheese Italian Style: Pepperoni and Parmesan Crust

Printable Recipe

I'll admit it, I love grilled cheese, any kind of grilled cheese, with every combination of savory, spicy, hot, sweet, cheese, meat, jam, sauce, mustard - you name it. This one: Think pizza flavors of mozza and pepperoni and sauce with a crispy outer crust of parmesan. Mmmmmmmm, yeah!

I cut diagonal slices of Italian Bread. Spread each one with your favorite pizza sauce. (I used spaghetti sauce because I like it better.)

Now fire up the skillet with a thin film of olive oil and just warm up the pepperoni slices to help with the melting of all that cheesey cheese. This is thin sliced, very tender pepperoni, labelled Old World Pepperoni in my store, but you could try a good brand such as Boar's Head and have it sliced very thin if you can't find something pre-packaged.

When they start to bubble just a bit, get them out and layer on both pieces of bread. Then pile on the cheese. I mean pile it on, lots 'o cheese. And slap on the lid. Carefully transfer to the skillet and slide it around in the hot oil a little then press down for good contact.

After the flip, I know it looks done, but Wait! There's more!

When I mentioned that parmesan crust, I do mean a solid crispy layer over the entire surface of the bread. We're going to make that happen with some grated parmesan delivered straight to the skillet in an Italian Grilled Cheese sandwich shape, just like this. Now press your sammy right on top of that.

Now let it sizzle 1 minute and carefully lift the edge of the bread with a metal spatula. You may have to scrape under it persistently to make it lift off in one piece. If you do it right you'll have a beautiful golden crunchy crust. Now, repeat on the other side because two is better than one.

Bravo! Feel free to load this little pizza-like sandwich with all your favorites. Peppers and green olives? Of course. Sauteed mushrooms and onions? Sure. Anchovies? Whatever floats your boat. Just pile on the extras under the cheese layer and press down the top before you gently move your loaded sandwich to the griller-skillet. Have fun, y'all.

All winter it's Comfort Food Feast at the Food Network, so check out these other great ideas and don't miss our Pinterest page each week!

The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Croque Monsieur Sandwiches
In Jennie's Kitchen: Homemade Pizza Pockets
Food for 7 Stages of Life: Best Caramelized Mushroom and Pineapple Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Dishing With Divya: Egg and Mushroom Cheese Sandwich
The Cultural Dish: Croque Monsieur and Madame
Weelicious: Grilled Cheese Pickle Panini
Swing Eats: Mind-Blowing Grilled Cheese: Sriracha Ketchup, Kettle Potato Chips, Pickles, Sharp Cheddar (gluten-free)
Red or Green: Cheddar, Peppadew & Basil Panini
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Inside/Outside Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Avocado & Sundried Tomatoes
Taste with the Eyes: Grilled Halloumi Cheese Salad, Savory Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream
Creative Culinary: Inside Out Grilled Cheese with Tomato
The Mom 100: Fork in the Road: Great Grilled Cheese Sandwich
FN Dish: 6 Gooey Grilled Cheeses You Can't Live Without

Jalapeno Feta Bison Burger

Printable Recipe

Feta for salt, Jalapeño for heat, Bison because it's so good to eat! The flavor of beef with significantly less fat and calories and just a bit more protein, bison makes the perfect burger. I began switching beef for bison in the past year or so and no one in my household knew until I told them.  If you haven't tried it yet, here's a delicious introduction:

To one pound of ground sirloin bison, add 1/2 cup feta crumbles, and 1/4 cup chopped jalapeño and turn just a few times until mixed.

Season with several liberal shakes of Garlic Powder, also (NOT garlic salt).  Shape gently into burger patties, touching as little as possible until meat just holds together. Don't get to mashing or balling it up and pounding it flat or you'll encourage the meat proteins to clamor together and turn against you. That means tough burgers, chef, and no one wants to see that happen. 

Now, to the grill. Or the non-stick skillet over medium heat. Or the pre-heated George Foreman. I chose the later today because I'm hungry and 4 minutes does it on the GF since both sides of the burger cook at once. 

Toast up some buttery French bread slices while the bison is sizzling away.

For dressing up this burger I wanted a little cool creamy avocado to balance the jalapeño's heat and rather than ketchup or mayo I chose a homemade thousand island, which is almost ketchup and mayo, just a notch better. Several layers of crispy lettuce and we're complete.   

SummerSoiree is on at the Food Network blogsite! We're all blogging together about Burgers today, but stay tuned each week for fresh ideas from your finds at the Farmer's Market or delicious dishes for picnics and parties all summer long! And check these out:

Weelicious: Mexican Chicken Sliders
Devour: 5 Sizzling Burgers
Virtually Homemade: Grilled Greek Turkey Burger
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Green Chile and Bacon Burgers
Red or Green: Grilled Marinated Eggplant Burgers (Spicy)
The Heritage Cook: Juicy Turkey Burgers for Every Cookout
Taste With The Eyes: Chicken Burger Caesar Club Sandwich
Cooking With Elise: Super Smashed Burgers
Domesticate Me: Bacon and Smoked Cheddar Cheeseburger Sliders with Jalapeno Relish
Swing Eats: Shrimp Burgers with Sriracha Aioli on Bibb Lettuce
Dishin & Dishes: Grill Basket Stuffed Slider Burgers
FN Dish: 5 Ways to Bring on the Burgers

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta with Crunchy Roasted Black Beans

(Printable Recipe)

Straight from the Pantry: Dinner in 30 minutes. That's right, even if your fridge went out and you hadn't a single fresh veg or meat protein on hand, you could put together this dish entirely from the pantry without resorting to a creamed soup casserole. As I undertook the challenge to do a clean-out-the-pantry dish, I also decided to clean out the spice/herb pantry by making a special seasoning I love, though it turns out a little different each time, and in the end I made a second pasta dish with it. So, today you're getting not one, but TWO bonus recipes, you lucky foodies! And a peak inside my obsessively packed fold-out pantry cabinet that is the secret joy of my kitchen. Get ready. Here it is:

Closed and Tidy

But...Open Sesame:

Whoa! Could you get a little more stuff in there?

Why yes I could:

That's right, one more layer hiding out in the back.
Because all the shelves are movable I use almost every square inch of this thing.

So, here's where we're going to start. Traveling to the northeast region of my pantry, home of vegetables, beans, fruits, soups, sauces, canned tuna and chicken, we'll collect our stash.

We'll get to the other pantry regions shortly, but for the moment let's get some pasta cooking. Doesn't matter too much what kind you choose, just grab that box you've had sitting around for pasta salad or bought because the shapes were fun. I bought this one because I couldn't resist the name "piccolini." 

Everything you'll need.

Start the pasta water and set the oven to 400 for the beans. Drain the black beans (or experiment with others such as red or garbanzo, if that's what you've got). Rinse and drain well, spread on a towel, and pat dry before moving to a bowl. Toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil and pinch or two of salt. Spread them on a parchment lined sheet pan and slip them in the oven; timer set for 20 minutes. The result will be a crunchy, salty snack that also makes an unexpected topping sprinkled over pasta or tacos or salad or you-name-it. I love beans but limit them since they're so carb-loaded.  I find that even a few of these as a garnish are enough to satisfy.

I collect flavored oils and used this flaming hot Harissa Oil for my Black Beans. ChaChaCha.

While those are roasting, toss in the pasta to boil with a chicken bouillon cube added for flavor, and pop open the cans of chipotle-in-adobo and the artichoke hearts. Quarter those hearts if they aren't already. And if yours are packed in oil instead of water, rinse them really well in hot water. Regardless of how they're packed, squeeze out as much water as you can before tossing them in a medium hot skillet drizzled with olive oil. Salt and pepper them and toss for just 5 minutes or so to sizzle and brown a bit. 

Halt! Achtung! If you want to control the heat, the next step is important! Before you rough chop 3 or 4 chipotles, slice them open and scrape away the seeds and lingering adobo sauce. If you love the heat, ignore this warning and chop away, seeds and all, as you'll notice I did but a few people at the table cried a little.

Toss in the peppers and about of tablespoon of concentrated tomato paste. If you don't keep this stuff on hand, it's time to pick up a tube. It's sweeter than canned, lasts for ages, and is so concentrated that just a little adds a lot of flavor. (Throw it in the fridge after opening.) Next, drain a can of white chicken chunks and toss those in if you so desire. This Kirkland brand from Costco is excellent, tender, flaky good. With chicken this could serve as a main dish, without it's a perfect side dish.

Mix and stir to heat through.

By now your pasta should be ready. Ladle about a half cup of pasta water into the above mix and stir to blend. Lastly, add a few cups of drained pasta and toss. Another cup or so of pasta may be needed, but judge the balance of ingredients first to be sure you really need it. About now that bean timer should be buzzing and the pan should look like a bean bomb has detonated.

Not a mistake.

I think these crunch up even more as they cool. Spinkle a few on top of each serving of Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta and save the rest for snacking or pass the bowl around the table and let everyone add their own.

Now to that bonus I promised! Whether or not you're a spice/herb hoarder like me, you'll love this method of making a fantastic custom blend out of aging herbs before they're too old to use. (If they've lost their scent, trash them, flavor's gone too.) I regularly work my way through the collective bottles in the southwest region of my pantry (door) and scoop out a tsp or so of each. If a bottle has only a few teaspoons left, I go ahead and use it all except for really strong cumin or curry.

This is about half the total stash. And it's layered two deep. yes, i heart herbs.

On this particular sunny day, here is what I ended up using for my special blend:

(Printable Custom Spice Blend Recipe)

Did I mention I'm a salt hoarder too? Ugh, it's the truth. I love different flavored salt for sprinkling on fish or meat to finish them or to add to a delicate sauce. Or just lick.

A few of the dozen or so salts in my kitchen. 

Back to the herb blend! I haven't forgotten. We're going to turn that mishmash into a fine powder in the spice grinder aka coffee-grinder-reserved-only-for-spices. I am having a heyday with hyphens this afternoon.

Herb and Spice Blend before grinding. Smells delicious.

Herb and Spice Blend after grinding. Smells FABULICOUS!

I save empty spice bottles for just such an occasion and slap on my homemade label.

And now for our final dish. I used the extra pasta not needed for the first dish to make a wonderful side dish for another day. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil to shimmering and spoon in a few tablespoons of this herb blend, stirring just a minute or so to warm. When the scent has really intensified as the flavors open up with the heat, add 2-3 cups of pasta and toss well to coat. 

2-3 Tbs Olive Oil + 2-3 Tbs Herb Blend

Keep stirring a few minutes until fragrance intensifies then add pasta.

Voila! CustomBlend Herby Pasta.

This week is the beginning of Sensational Spring Sides at the Food Network blog, the FN Dish. Here are lots of delicious ideas from my fellow bloggers around the country!


Feed Me Phoebe: Artichoke Hummus
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Red or Green: Sea Bass with Spicy Asian Ginger Sauce
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Quinoa Citrus Mango Avocado Black Bean Salad
The Heritage Cook: Chile Tortilla Soup
Cooking With Elise: Glorious Greek Salad Dressing
Devour: Clean Out the Pantry Night
Weelicious: Greek Nachos
Virtually Homemade: Garlic Rosemary Pizza Crust Bites
Domesticate Me: Fiesta Baked Eggs with Farro and Black Beans
Taste With The Eyes: Mom's Vintage Potato Salad
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Rice and Beans Casserole
The Sensitive Epicure: Salmon and Brown Rice Casserole (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: Pantry Clean-Out Sides

Grilled Pimento Cheese with Instant Pickles

(Printable Recipe)

If you grew up in the south you probably grew up eating pimento cheese. And if you didn't, then I'm about to introduce you to a new addiction. And, yes, this IS a photo of a grilled pimento cheese sandwich with my Cool and Zesty Cukes: 7 Minute Summer in a Jar pickles because you do not have to eat cold pimento cheese on a cracker or on a piece of white Bunny bread. That hot pepper on top is reminding me that this was a batch of hot pimento cheese because that's what I was in the mood for and my brother had dropped off a passel of hot peppers from his garden. Well, now, that made me go look up "passel," wondering if it is just a corrupted version of "parcel." Indeed it is, although it doesn't quite fit to exchange the uncorrupted word in this example sentence given by the online dictionary: "The President faces a passel of domestic issues."  Hmm, well I know this much: easier to face those issues fortified with a grilled pimento cheese in your hand.

Smoked Gouda, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Asiago

 One reason my pimento cheese rarely turns out the same way twice is the variety of cheeses I use to make it. Generally, a good sharp cheddar is the base with other chunks from my cheese bin thrown in. I like to buy small pieces of cheese from the bargain basket at Whole Foods or Fresh Market for this very purpose, but I often have left over ends from cheeses I've recently tried and want to use up. The best balance of flavors is a mix of the cheddar with something nutty and rich like parmesan or pecorino romano or asiago and maybe something smokey like this gouda or even a smoked blue - go easy on strong cheeses though or they'll overpower all the other flavors. Even a little of something sweet like gjetost can make a really interesting mix. You can always tone it down with more cheddar if you make the combo too strong. Now, run it all through the grater of your food processor, or Kitchenaide Mixer grater-attachment like I use, and we'll talk about dressing it up in a minute.

Pimento and Pimento

There are two ways to come by a pimento. Near the pickles at your local grocery. Near the peppers at your favorite Farmer's Market in summer. When you see some of these flat little red gems, grab them all! Make a huge batch of pimento cheese to share with your lucky friends or grind all the pimentos at once and save in little freezer bags to parcel out all winter long ("passel" does not work here). There's so much more flavor in the fresh ones, obviously, since they haven't been heated in the canning process. But their season is short and I never see them anywhere the rest of the year, in spite of my habit of roaming groceries and markets, large and small, popular and obscure watching for good things with which to create good eats.

The best way to prepare a fresh pimento is to cap and seed it and drop large chunks into the food processor for a few minutes of pulsing. Now is when you add a little hot pepper if you want it, maybe a piece of jalapeno or Hatch green peppers in season. You can add the mayo directly to this or move it all to a large bowl with the grated cheese. Start with about 1/3 cup of mayo for the amount of cheese pictured above and adjust to your own taste from there. I like mine easily spreadable but not overwhelmed with so much mayo that it interferes with the other tastes.

One more flavor element: very finely grated Vidalia or other sweet (although admittedly inferior) onion. I just cut one in half and run it over the rasp for maybe a teaspoon or so of pulp and juice. I don't really want onion pieces, just the flavor. Also give it a good hard shake of pepper. I prefer a good brand of fine ground pepper rather than fresh ground for this because I don't want to encounter a piece of black pepper in a bite. Again, only the slight flavor of pepper throughout.

Now, try it on a fine piece of bread worthy of such a spread. This one was a slightly sweet herbed bread just baked that morning (and long gone by evening). Use plenty of filling between two slices. Really be generous with a layer of soft butter on the outside of the top piece, then put the sandwich  in a skillet with the buttered side down over med-low heat. Now butter the side facing up as it slowly sizzles. Using fairly low heat will give the sandwich time to warm all the way through and melt the cheese. Flip it when the bread is good and toasty brown. When both sides are brown, move it to a plate and slip those icy pickles in place. I won't judge you if you happen to be one of those extremely weird people who for some unknown reason wish to have HOT pickles on a tasted cheese sandwich and you add them at the beginning. Really, I don't think there's anything at all wrong with that, so go ahead and do it. Eye-roll.

It's ComfortFood Feast season at the Food Network and we're blogging together about Toasty Sandwiches this week and Comforting Cookies next week. In no time, the Farmer's Markets will be opening and SummerFest will be on. Stay tuned! And in the meantime, check out these other delicious ideas for hot, grilled sandwiches:



Jeanette's Healthy Living: Lighted Up Croque Monsieur Grilled Cheese
Blue Apron Blog: The Tastiest Grilled Cheese Fillings
Weelicious: Grilled Cheese and Pickle Panini
Devour: Kelsey's Decadent Grilled Cheese
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Inside Out Grilled Strawberry and Cheese Sandwiches
Daily*Dishin: Grilled Pimento Cheese with Instant Pickles
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pork Stew in Port Wine Sauce with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Red or Green: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Three Pepper Cheese, Grilled Onions and Pickled Jalapenos
Dishing With Divya: Egg and Mushroom Cheese Sandwich
Domesticate Me: Barbecue Chicken Grilled Cheese
Taste With The Eyes: Bulgogi Panino with Kimchi, Cheddar and Ssamjang Mayo
Virtually Homemade: Creamy Roasted Tomato and Basil Grilled Cheese with Bacon
The Sensitive Epicure: Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich with Apple, Walnuts and Thyme (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: 10 Grown-Up Grilled Cheeses

Italian Roast Beef-Smoked Almond Creamy Cheesy Sliders

Printable Recipe

Spicy Italian Roast Beef layered with creamy, nutty cheese on a just-sweet-enough mini bun. You'll make these to take for a party, a pitch-in, a luncheon (do people have luncheon anymore?). And you'll keep making them for yourself...midnight snack, Saturday lunch, Sunday brunch, oh, anything at all. They're a bit hard to resist. And quick and easy. You've practically got the recipe already, but here's a visual:

Open the 12 pack of Hawaiian rolls and do not separate into individual pieces. Steady them with your palm in the middle of the whole thing and use a long serrated knife to cut them horizontally into a top and bottom. Open them up like a big bread clamshell. On the underside of the top half slather on a goodly layer of Miracle Whip. As much as I love mayonnaise, the real thing, I believe this sandwich needs the tangy goodness of MW to make it just right. 

Now, for the other half o' the bread layer on all of this: 8 oz cream cheese, 2-4 oz blue cheese, handful of smoked almonds. 

Rough chop those almonds with a big sturdy knife. I mean just lay a handful on a chopping block and chop through a few times to at least halve them. Chunkier is better here. NOTE: Everything will mix together better and spread nicely if you give the cream cheese just 10-20 seconds in the microwave till barely warm and very soft.  

Now, layer your very thinly sliced pound of Italian roast beef over all and close that breadclam right up. It's easiest to cut through everything with the long serrated knife just before you arrange on the platter. These will fit nicely back into the "tray" and bag they came in to transport for your event. And they hold quite well for 2-3 days in the fridge!  Incidentally, I find Italian roast beef in the bigger groceries or from my butcher who carries Boar's Head which is my favorite brand. Any Italian roast beef greatly trumps plain old roast beef; so much more flavorful. If you're really tired, go ahead and make this with whatever you've got. It will definitely still be irresistible.

 

THE SHOPPING LIST

12 Hawaiian Rolls

1 lb Italian Roast Beef

8 oz Cream Cheese

2-4 oz Blue Cheese

1/2 cup Smoked Almonds

Miracle Whip

This week at the Food Network's Comfort Food Feast we're blogging about Sliders of all sorts for Superbowl weekend.  Check out these other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends:

Jeanette's Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Maryland Crab Cake Sliders
The Heritage Cook: Italian Sliders with Fried Polenta and Marinara Sauce
Feed Me Phoebe: Thai Chicken Sliders with Sriracha Mayo
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Shredded Beef Sliders
Haute Apple Pie: Easy Pan Cheeseburger Sliders
Devour: Pick Your Slider Stuffing for Super Bowl
Dishin & Dishes: Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Blue Apron Blog: 5 Tricks to a Great Slider
Weelicious: Mexican Chicken Sliders
Taste With The Eyes: Classic Chicago-Style Polish Sausage Sliders
Virtually Homemade: Meatball Sliders
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Buffalo Sliders with Bacon & Cheddar
Red or Green: Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Bacon & Celery
The Sensitive Epicure: Arepas — The Ultimate Gluten-Free Slider with South American Flair
Domesticate Me: Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders
FN Dish: Super Sliders