Dinner at the Anchovy's
Yes, it's our new Monday evening feature here at Mister Anchovy's, Dinner at the Anchovy's. Contrary to popular belief, every day is not gourmet day at Anchovy World Headquarters. Today, we explore that comfort food of comfort foods, the grilled cheese sandwich.
I prefer mine on French stick because I like the texture as it toasts up. For the same reason, I'd never make a grilled cheese using multi-grain bread or any bread with little floaty-crunchies in it. No way. I prefer real cheese to processed cheese food, although I realize that there are some grilled cheese afficianados out there who say the cheese has to be factory cheese, more like cheeze. Some people might even prefer Velveeta. Sometimes I enjoy mixing two or even three cheeses, but I like my main event cheese to be medium cheddar.
I like to add, on top of the cheese, thin slices of fresh from the garden tomatoes, sprinkled with black pepper and some crushed red chiles. Purists in the crowd may scorn me for this I know, but home-grown tomatoes rock. I know some people like to add meat products to their grilled cheese, but then really becomes a grilled sandwich with cheese rather than a grilled cheese proper, don't you think?
I only butter the outside of the bread, never the inside. My tool of choice for the grilling is a George Forman grill. I bet when former boxing great Mr. Forman was in his lab developing his lean mean grilling machine, he was thinking of burgers or chicken breasts or tuna steaks. I bet he didn't even realize he was making the perfect grilled cheese machine. I think it's perfect because it makes the nice lines in the bread and the pressure of the top on the sandwich pushes the grill into the bread and helps melt the cheese just the way I like it.
I don't think a grilled cheese requires a side of anything. After all, it's perfect on it's own. That said, I have been known to toss a handful of olives (spicy green or crinkly black) to my plate. And for a beverage? I like ginger beer with my grilled cheese sandwich. Perfect.
Are there any grilled cheese freaks out there today? How do you make yours?
I plan to do a regular food post Monday evenings. If you're interested in participating, send a recipe or a food-related story, video, pictures, whatever you like. If I like it, I'll post it with a link back to your blog (if you're a blogger).
6 comments:
Ah, a topic I'd love to sink my teeth into!
OK - first of all, I make my own bread and it often has WHOLE GRAINS, i.e. "floaty-crunchies" in it, and I enjoy my grilled cheese made with MY bread. Lately, I've gone gourmet with my GCS, adding black forest ham, using swiss cheese, and spreading pesto on the insides (butter, as always, on the outside). I love it!
Where I work, we do two paninis: turkey, bacon, & provolone with a basil mayo, and chicken breast, brie, and apricot salsa. We grill these on a grill similar to the George Foreman. I so badly want one of those grills! But, I do have a GF here which I never use for my GCS. I still like to use my little frying pan.
Looking forward to future Dinners!
I'd love to have one of those fancy-pants panini grills too!
If I had a restaurant, I would have a grilled cheese special, nothing too fancy...maybe served with fresh-cut fries, or some kick-ass slaw.
Now I like my GCS with ham fine, but I just don't think of it as a GCS once I get the meat element happening. The meat becomes the star of the show and the cheese because part of the accoutrement ensemble, if you will.
When I worked as a cater waiter, whenever the caterer made bite sized grilled cheese for the clients, they were always the first to go.
You might be surprised to learn that I love grilled cheese sandwiches! Of course I make the veganized version and go for simplicity: vegan faux-cheese slices, db's sourdough, and lots of Earth Balance the vegan's answer to real butter. Sometimes I eat it with ketchup and other times I just eat it plain classic vegan style. Oh yes, fresh garden tomatoes are nice on the side when the season permits.
Mac & cheese next?
I make killer grilled cheese sandwiches. Once, Ink Casualty and I lived off grilled cheese for like, three months.
The thing is, I can't really eat them regularily, I gain weight.
I grew up withopen faced sandwiches where the ratio of toppings outweighs the bread. I prefer that style fo sandwich...but sometimes a visit to the "comfort" food outweighs the weight challenge.
Only butter...no margerine.
Cast iron makes the best grilled cheese. Over an open fire or a gas stove. IMHO...not!
Yes! GRilled cheese and bacon on a sesame seed bagel.
Why did everyone blog about food I like at the same time???
I'm starving and already had dinner....I am naming my next 5 pounds after you, Mr. A!!
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