Grilled Cheese and mustard sandwich

The fridge and pantry cupboard always seem to be a bit bare after the weekend, but I always have cheese and today I also had some left over small ciabatta loaves. And what is more perfect than making grilled cheese sandwiches. 

This sandwich is fried gently and slowly in a pan, so that the cheese melts and runs out. The taste is so much better than if you’d toasted it in a toaster machine.  This amount of filling is enough for one small loaf, just double it up if you need more grilled cheeses.

Ingredients

 

1 T olive oil

1 small garlic clove, peeled

1 sprig fresh rosemary

50g strong cheddar cheese

½ t wholegrain mustard

1 egg yolk

A dash of Worcester sauce

1 t fresh parsley, chopped

1 small clove garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

1 small loaf ciabatta

Method

1. Place the olive oil, garlic clove and rosemary in a small pan and heat gently. Remove from the heat and let it rest for a while.

2. Mix the cheese, mustard, egg yolk, Worcester sauce, parsley and crushed garlic and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

3. Slice the loaf (I got six slices out the small loaf) and place three slices on a board.

4. Divide the cheese mixture between the slices and cover with the remaining slices. Brush the olive oil over the slices on both sides.

5. Pan fry the sandwiches very gently over a low heat until the bread is golden and the cheese mixture has melted.

Butter Bean Soup with Crispy Bacon

It's February and its hot, so why soup you ask.....well why not I ask!  With temperatures in the mid 30's, something quick to make and tasty is the key to spending more time outdoors. 

With one day to go before a trip to the Farmers Market to stock up on food, it was a case of scratching around in the grocer cupboard and the freezer for something to eat.  While a loaf of Irish Soda Bread bakes in the oven, the soup can be made and they will both be ready at the same time.  Serve the soup with the bread and an ice cold cider....way to go!!

 

 

Butter Bean Soup with Crispy Bacon

 

Serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a main meal.

 

Ingredients

 

1 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 T butter

1 onion, chopped

1 t fresh thyme leaves

375ml chicken stock, I use homemade out the freezer

4 slices bacon

Parsley to garnish

 

Method

1. Pan fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel and cut into small pieces.
2. Melt the butter in a pot, add the onion and fry until soft.
3. Add the beans and the thyme.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Blend in a blender until smooth, and then pass through a sieve into the pot.
6. Reheat gently, pour into bowls, and sprinkle on the bacon and chopped parsley.
7. Serve with freshly made bread.



 

 

 

Mushrooms Topped With Cheese And Garlic

Last Saturday (like every Saturday) we took a drive out to The Shed on Route 59 farmer's market. Going straight to Natalie and Andrew's mushroom stall to buy some of their enormous mushrooms, they are huge, I mean really huge, bigger than the size of my palm.  Normally we make mushroom pizza's out of them, this time though I knew exactly what to make with them.......

 

Mushrooms Topped With Cheese And Garlic

 

 

Ingredients (serves 1)

 

1 Giant mushroom

2 teaspoons soften butter

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper

paprika

 

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2. In a bowl mix the soften butter with the garlic and thyme.

3. Mix in the grated cheese.

4. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom.

5. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little paprika on top.

 

 

6. Place in a ovenproof bowl and pour in a little water (tip from Andrew). This helps the mushroom cook on the bottom.

7. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese has melted.

 

 

 

 



Wraps

So every now and again I find myself home alone, just me and the woof.  And seriously who feels like cooking just for one.  Not me!!

But on the other hand, if I ordered in a takeaway delivery, I usually wait about half an hour and eventually by the time it arrives I am starving and the food is not very hot. Or if I hop into the car and drive up for takeaways, it means a wait while the food is prepared and by the time I get home the food is once again not very hot. Ugh!! 

So now, to look for something that is tasty and takes just about as long as the takeaway does.  Hum.....whats in the fridge? 

Chicken wraps with red pepper, served with a mild

sweet chilli sauce.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 wrap

1 chicken fillet, sliced thinly

1 red pepper

olive oil

2 peppadews, sliced

handful baby spinach leaves, washed and dried

Spur seasoning salt

1/2 round feta cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons plain yoghurt

2 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

 

1. Blacken the skin of the red pepper on the gas burner. If you don't have gas, grill the pepper until the skin blackens, turning all the time.

 

 



 

2. Place the blackened pepper in a bowl and cover with cling wrap for a few minutes.

 

 

3. In the meantime, season the chicken with the Spur seasoning salt, cook in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil until nicely browned and cooked through.

 

 

 

 4. Scrape off the blackened skin on the pepper, don't wash it as this is where all that flavour is.

 

 

5. Take out the pips and slice the pepper into thin strips.

6. Make the sweet chilli sauce by combining the yoghurt, mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce and put to one side.

7. Heat the wrap for 30 seconds in the microwave and place on a plate.

8. Start layering with the baby spinach leaves, followed by about half of the red pepper,feta cheese and peppadews.

 

9. Top with the chicken and pour the sweet chilli sauce over.

10. Season with the salt and pepper

11.  Roll up the wrap and slice in half.

 

 

You can easily double up on the ingredients if serving two. Remembering that you would probably only need to use one red pepper.