greek*grilled*cheese

hello, loves!

....yes, yes, i know...where have i been this week?! before you start jumping to conclusions and assuming that i [already] forgot about you, fear not! this week has been a bit extremely hectic. between meetings, puppy surgery, and re-enacting engagement pictures [yes, i'll post them and explain my crazy] i just didn't have the time on hand that i usually do. 

let's not talk about ordering chinese the other night.

...now don't get me wrong, i love it just as much as the next gal, but let's be serious, i'd much rather cook a tasty dinner than order out. but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

anyways. let's get back to the meaning behind tonight's post. have any of y'all ever had grilled cheese? dumb stupid question - let's rephrase that. have any of y'all ever had GREEK grilled cheese? it sounds a little strange, i know but....i had the most amazing sandwich based on this concept earlier this year at a dive bar in north carolina, and let me tell you, i was hooked. as you will soon find out, i am a sucker for anything veggie, and the local tomato and cukes in the sandwich just scream bold, fresh, DELISH. pair it with the arugula/pea pesto i whipped up awhile back with excess produce [and promptly proceeded to chuck it in the freezer for later usage], creamy provolone and sharp shavings of parmesean cheese, it's ideal. the perfect dinner for a rainy night to cozy up with your engineer [more on him later:) ] and help your puppy recover. can't beat that, let's be real. ready to jump in?

*greek grilled cheese

based on a sandwich i had @ the federal, in north carolina

-serves: 1

ingredients:

-one thick cut slice of fresh bread

(i used homemade peasant bread, but any hearty white/wheat bread will do)...i'll talk more about my homemade in a later post, promise!

-1/4 of a smaller cucumber 

(i get fresh veggies from my friend with a garden, & i'm pretty sure these are just standard, hothouse cukes, nothing fancy)

-1 medium vine tomato

-arugula/pea pesto, recipe below

-1.1/2 slices of GOOD provolone cheese

-2 to 3 tbsp. of GOOD parmesan 

-salt&pepper&olive.oil.spray

(these are essential to escalating any dinner from good to great, am i right??)

here's how you assemble:

1. preheat stovetop to medium-medium high. depending on your stovetop and how high it gets, you might have to adjust this slightly. the important thing here is making sure that your grillpan/large skillet/whatever you have on hand is toasty and waiting for you, and not the other way around.

....unless you like being toasty? i'm not judging, promise.

2. assemble your ingredients. as i mentioned, i used one thick slice = a 1/2 sandwich, which turned out to be the right size for this gal. you'll want to have everything laid out and ready, so that you can easily go from building your sandwich to the pan. you'll want to spray the outer sides of your sandwich with the spray now, to avoid an unhappy cook when you try to do it with spray in one hand, sandwich that was [once in hand] and is now a sad pile on the floor. wahh. we won't go there.

the sandwich on the right is the engineer's - he went simple tonight.

3. start stacking that little piece of heaven on your cutting board; on the base of your sandwich, spread a generous amount of arugula/pea pesto, provolone [1 full slice] half the tomato, half the cucumber, half the parmesan, and a sprinkling of salt&pepper. repeat your layering until you've exhausted yourself and your ingredients [i went through two layers].

yay stacking ingredients!!

4. transfer this gem into your preheated skillet, and plop a heavy-bottomed skillet onto the top. 

boom! toasted.

....now, i know you're thinking, "what the hell is alicia thinking?!?" fear not, friends - this is an excellent way to press your sandwiches. and by doing this, you ensure that you effectively distribute squish all your sandwich goodness together in the middle, making for awesome mouth feel and crispy toasty bread. yum.

MOVING ON.

5. keep an eye on the underside of your sandwich, making sure to cook it to your desired crispness toasty-ness. for me, i like a pretty, brown crust....because brunettes have more fun, right? i'd give it 5-6 minutes on that first side.

6. flip when you so desire.....

see you on the flip side.

7. ...and let it continue on the other side. be sure to keep in mind that the second side [much like a pancake] will typically go faster than the first, so don't stray too far.

8. once you've deemed your sandwich is cooked to perfection, slide it onto a plate and enjoy!

showstopper.

....i highly suggest serving this with chips of your choice, and a cold brew. YUM.

GO HOKIES!
no, i wasn't paid to say that. GO TECH GO!

.....& because i was so amazed, i had to take a picture. this will never happen again.

sleepiest.muffin.ever.

now, let's recap this deliciousness. a sandwich is a vessel for pretty much anything easy and awesome, and this one proves that. if i had any on hand, i would have subbed the parmesan for feta and tossed the tomatoes and cukes with a little greek seasoning. maybe a little arugula for a punch of flavor and some pretty green color. 

...i like my food to look pretty, don't you?

the true beauty of this sandwich is that you can really dress it [no pun intended] to suit your tastes, and what you have on hand. let me know in the comments section how you made it your own!

cheers!