30 Gourmet Sandwiches #26: Grape and Taleggio Grilled Cheese

 I've made a calculated decision to venture to waitrose and get the correct cheese again. Partially because I just dont really know what taleggio is like.

But I found it! One fancy block of taleggio, red grapes, and for the "honey wholewheat" the closest i could find is a malted multi-seed bloomer. It seems like it would match well anyway.

Ugghh this bread is too soft and this butter is diabolically hard. I guess i should stop buying cheap butter? And yes its been outside of the fridge for over a day. I can't be bothered to microwave it though the grills gonna melt it anyhow.

Now for the exciting cheese reveal! It feels like im unboxing some premium ingredient. I've never had this before, i guess its prettymuch like a brie?

Thats probably enough to melt nicely on everything.

Now i just cut some grapes in half.

Looks kind of unsettling like that! Quick lets slam the lid on and squash it into a delicious lunch.

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Very nice, the talegg seems like a good grilling cheese that goes well with the flavourful wholegrain bread. The grapes are fine, they dont clash but im not so sold on them, they add a bit of sweetness and a lot of wateryness to an already oozing kind of sandwich. I might try making this again later but with cranberry sauce (leftover from recipe #16!) instead of grapes.

30 Gourmet Sandwiches #18: Chicken Red-Pepper Pesto Panini

 I'm back from the shops, a headache is brewing... but lets get this show on the road.

I'll go all out and grill the chicken and pepper myself, its not too much trouble.

I'm brushing the chicken with olive oil, paprika salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of thyme, lemon & bay seasoning (though its almost empty i didnt get much out)

Don't forget the peppers too! I oiled and seasoned them the same way.

The chicken isnt quite done yet, but this pepper looks good, i'll let it cool for a bit.

Once it's cooled i'll blend it... im adding some mustard and lemon juice since i have it handy, idk. Getting a bit improvisational up in here today.

It comes out a great red colour! Does this really count as "pesto"? is that italian for "putting whatever you want in a blender"???

The chicken looks done! Sorry about the state of my grill tray, i made bacon the other day.

Cutting open my lidl bakery panini... looks real good!

Thick spread of the roasted pepper "pesto". Looks to die for.

The chicken breast was quite thicc so ive sliced it flatways to fit it on the sandwich perfectly, and as a bonus you can see if its cooked all the way through that way.

And don't forget, the rocket (arugula) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar! I made it a generous drizzle since i forgot to put any in the pesto.

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I think mines better. They said panini/ciabatta but theirs looks like a burger bun? Anyway it was really bangin, I loved the pepperyness of the rocket with the sweetness of the vinegar and pesto. And the chewy crusty breads a great choice with salad-y Mediterranean flavours. The only thing holding it back from being an instant classic though, is it was a little watery. I guess i should have roasted the peppers longer or left them out a bit to dry. And ideally used a balsamic reduction. I'm not a deli though i ain't doing all that.

30 Gourmet Sandwiches #12: Open-Faced Prosciutto and Asparagus

Another idea I've never considered, but it sounds pretty normal.

Got a really nice looking artisanal baguette. Or a xenomorph head. You decide. Also prosciutto cotto, asparagus, and some of the usual suspects for garnish.

I'm going to fry the asparagus spears with a small puddle of water and a bit of butter so they kinda half-steam but brown a tiny bit at the end.

This time i found a mixed bag that has a bunch of greens, im just gonna pick out some rocket(arugula leaves) from it, since ive been in the habit of putting massive fistfuls of garnish on my other sandwiches thus far.

Which means we only really need the tiniest bit of olive oil and lemon juice to toss it in, I reckon i can just stab the lemon with a fork and squeeze out a few drips.

Nice looking half a piece of baguette and some mustard. This sandwich list really loves dijon mustard. 

Layered on 3 folded slices of the proscuitto.

And the cooked asparagus fits on nicely too, now we just top with the garnish and eat! Easy peasy lemo- no wait... easy forky lemon porky.

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Its alright. It's an annoying way to eat asparagus compared to picking it up and dipping it, since everything on this is so fibrous. The flavours go fine together, but I dont really like the flavour of prosciutto that much unless its been crisped up a bit and combined with some stronger flavours. The bread is really nice.

30 Gourmet Sandwiches #8: Eggplant Parm Sandwich

So like the sandwich version of eggplant parmesan ? Well, it also seems a bit simpler too.

Crusty rolls, eggplant (aubergine), tomato, basil, mozzarella and parmesan.

First i slice up the eggplant and pick the 3 chunkiest discs. I can save the rest for something else, ill probably just throw them in a pasta.

Brush both sides with olive oil and lay on a nice coating of salt and pepper, and let them fry!

Thinly slice discs of mozzarella to match, and dice a tomato. Don't have to do any more with the tomato and basil really, i guess they stay raw.

once they are looking browned on one side I can flip em over and add the mozzarella, cover the pan with a lid and hope the mozzarella melts nice and quick.

I'll half one of the crusty rolls, might as well have 2 of these today and save the other bread roll and cooked eggplants for tomorrow.

That cheese has melted nicely! Now we just assemble!

oh its a mystery... for the finishing touches i use a thin cheese slicer to top it with parmesan flakes.

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It's picture perfect! Another recipe that demonstrates the power of fresh and good quality ingredients. It's a classic blend of flavours, the caprese salad trinity. Its basically just bruschetta but the fried eggplant makes it feel a bit more substantial.

30 Gourmet Sandwiches #3: Sausage and Peppers

This time im not just back from shops, its sunday i have all the time i need. and frozen paninis to defrost.

I dunno what american's "sweet italian sausage" is but i managed to find some sausages with red wine and garlic, if that aint what italians would put in a sausage then i dunno what. Also we got olive oil, mixed peppers and an onion.

First we pan-fry the sausages with a bit of olive oil. Im using my big-ass huge pan. You could make paella in this I reckon.

I slice the onion and peppers into thin strips and put them to one side while the sausages cook. I opted for a selection without green peppers, because in this country they suck ass and sometimes you get an ultra bitter one. Who invented eating unripe peppers?

once the sausages are coming along, we can make room for the veg.

we can thaw the paninis in the oven, then they'll be warm and hopefully a lil toastie.

hmm it feels wrong to cook so much vegetable without any seasoning... so im adding a generous sprinkle of orange pepper. it's got salt and black pepper, and the orange should add a fruity acidity.

Why does this smell so much like chinese stir fry? why does it smell like water chestnuts? That is not the smell i expected tbh.

Once everything is ready, we can start to layer up. The bread is warm all the way through, but it does seem like defrosting has made it more... delicate. it's softer on the inside and harder but more brittle on the outside. We must cram it carefully.

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It's not bad... its sausagey, its peppery. It's quite oily. Very heavy, though i did use 2 sausages. Why no sauce?