Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Two Pieces of Bread with Stuff In Between

CB and I don't have to drive much, living in the City affords us that luxury, but last night we had to go to my office to pick up a large package that I had delivered to me and needed to bring home. I take the train to work, in the whole time I have been at my job I have driven once, I've never really NEEDED to know how to drive to or from work. Last night, it was dark by the time we got to my office, we got there just fine, getting home turned into a bit of a comedy of errors, wrong turns and hurled swear words, all culminating with CB being aggravated that I had put us on the "road to nowhere" at at time when he would have liked nothing more than to sit in front of the tv, drinkabeer, and watch the Red Sox. So, hoping to calm the situation I said "would you like me to make you a toasted cheese sandwich when we get home?" His reply, yes, that would be good.

So that's what I did, I got home; took out the Italian bread, grabbed whatever cheese we had in the cheese bin, opened a jar of sundried tomatoes, and then went to the garden and grabbed some basil. This sandwich is so damn good, I mean, I know it's grilled cheese, but there is just something about a good grilled cheese sandwich.

Ahh, the power of cheese to smooth over rough situations. By the time he had eaten the last bite, all was forgotten.

Grilled Cheese, Sundried Tomato and Basil Sandwich
Two slices of crusty Italian bread
Sliced cheese (whatever you like, and however much of it you like)
10 sundried tomatoes in oil chopped)
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves

Lightly coat one side of each piece of bread with olive oil, (you can also take a garlic clove and run it over the sides of the bread to give it a little more flavor.) Place bread on hot non stick skillet, place half of the cheese on the bread, then layer the sundried tomatoes and basil on top of the cheese, then, place the other half of the cheese on top and then the second piece of bread.

At this point I like to weigh down the sandwich to press it, you can do that with a brick wrapped in aluminum foil.

When the bread has browned on one side, carefully flip and press on the other side until bread is browned on the other side and the cheese has melted through.

Rating = So God Damn Good

3 comments:

Patricia Scarpin said...

I could have forgiven the "road to nowhere" in no time with these! :)

Anonymous said...

A delicious looking sandwich! I love the addition of basil. I never get much results in rubbing a garlic clove on something, though. I think I might heat a little olive oil in a small pan and add a smashed garlic clove just long enough to flavor the oil, then use that to brush the sandwich.

You can also infuse olive oil with garlic just by letting a smashed clove or two steep in olive oil in a jar for a while. Then you've got it for sandwiches like this or just dipping torn up chinks of crusty bread in it.

JB said...

Terry,
Thanks so much for the tips on infusing olive oil with garlic. I've always wanted to infuse my own oil, but have a fear of the oil going bad, because of whatever I have infused in it. I'd love to infuse some olive oil with the rosemary in my garden, I'm just always nervous of something going wrong and the oil being ruined. Thanks.