Category Archives: Sandwiches
Grilled Cheese with Pancetta and Roasted Jalapeños
OMG, these are the most delicious grilled cheese sandwiches ever! The combination of pancetta and roasted jalapeños is divine! Obviously eliminate the pancetta if you want to make them vegetarian.. otherwise definitely make this sandwich- it is awesome. Make sure you make the soup as well from yesterday…
- 5 to 6 fresh jalapenos, sliced in half
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the jalapenos onto a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the oil and add a pinch of salt. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Let cool and keep aside.
- 6 to 8 pancetta slices
Heat a frying pan and add the pancetta slices. Cook on medium heat till pancetta is golden brown and crispy. Take out and keep aside.
- Loaf of Italian bread, sliced
- Butter, room temperature
- Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- Mozzarella cheese, grated
Butter one side of each of the two slices. Put the two slices butter side down onto a frying pan. Add both the cheeses, as many jalapenos as you want and a slice or two of the pancetta. Cook the grilled cheese and serve with tomato soup.
Brie and Fig Grilled Cheese served with Sweet Potato Fries
I made this dish after eating at Food restaurant in Summit, NJ. I took a friend out for lunch and ordered a brie and fig grilled cheese with sweet potato fries.
Before going there I spoke to the summit patch editor to see if she would be interested in a recipe replication with an article. She was fascinated and said yes.
As I looked through the menu, this particular dish stood out to me. I love sweet flavors mixed in with savory. I also love any kind of fries- especially sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are extremely healthy and I try to incorporate them into my diet as much as I can.
The original dish was good but a bit too rich for my taste. It was clearly cooked it butter and had too much fig jam in it. I started with whole wheat sour dough bread and added a fig compote instead. The fig compote is less sweet and a bit more savory. I also added peppery arugula to the mix.
Overall, I ended up with a delicious, healthy sandwich and fries. I of course made the sweet potato fries in the oven and added my favorite ingredient- smoked paprika.
Try the brie and fig grilled cheese with sweet potato fries for lunch next time…
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Turkey and Pesto Panini
This is a quick lunch on the weekend or even a quick dinner through the week. My husband loves turkey sandwiches but I usually don’t end up making too many sandwiches at home and so he end up eating them for lunch at work. I am not sure why- but sandwiches don’t come to mind when I think of lunch- and then I wonder why my daughter doesn’t like them. I never gave her a sandwich while she was a baby- so she never got used to one.
I bought sliced turkey since I had a large loaf of bake at home baguette in the fridge. I planned on making turkey pesto sandwiches for my hubby. My initial thought was to bake the bread first and then assemble the sandwich- but then I thought of assembling it first and then cooking it on a grill pan. I used another heavy pan to press down on the sandwich while all the ingredients melted together. Speaking of melting- I also had mozzarella cheese in the fridge which went perfectly with the pesto and the turkey.
I served a few potato chips and a green salad with the delicious sandwich. It was really good- I had a few bites…
Next time you are in a bind and don’t know what to make for lunch- try a turkey and pesto panini.
- 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
- One (6 inch) piece of bake at home baguette
- 3 thin sliced herb turkey
- 3 thick slices of mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves
- Fresh black pepper
Heat a grill pan with the olive oil. Slice the baguette in half. Spread the mayonnaise and pesto evenly on both sides. Spread the cheese and turkey slices. Add the basil leaves and black pepper on top. Place the second slice on top and place it on the grill pan. Press the panini down with another heavy pan or anything heavy. Brown the sandwich on both sides pressing well for 5 minutes each. Cut in half and serve.
Roast Chicken Sandwich
I roasted three pieces of chicken last week out of which I made the sweet corn chicken soup as well as the asparagus and chicken fried rice. I had one piece left in the fridge. We had gone out for a very heavy lunch yesterday and so there were no dinner plans. I decided to skip dinner all together and settle down with a bowl of cereal ( I find it a real treat at night). My husband on the other hand wanted to eat something light- maybe a sandwich he said. I thought of the chicken breast, olive bread, slices of asiago cheese and basil hanging out in the fridge- perfect, I thought! I toasted two thick slices of olive bread with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and spread a thick layer of olive oil mayonnaise- my husband loves mayo! I then added a layer of fresh basil, cut up some delicious looking grape tomatoes and added on top. In the meantime, I sliced the chicken breast into thin slices, placed them on a small cookie sheet and drizzled some salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil and warmed it up in my toaster oven. I then added a slice of asiago on top of the chicken and baked it until the cheese was soft and gooey. I then placed the warm chicken slices with the cheese on top of the tomatoes and basil and the olive bread. It looked so pretty that I didn’t really want to serve it- so I took a picture! He ate the sandwich with some sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar chips and a beer! I had a bite and it was quite delicious!
- 2 slices of olive bread toasted with a drizzle of olive oil (any bread will do)
- 1-2 slices asiago cheese (or any other will do)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 roasted chicken breast, sliced thin
- 5-6 basil leaves
- 3-4 grape tomatoes, sliced
- Salt and pepper
Place the sliced chicken on a small cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil, salt, pepepr and toast till the chicken is warm and soft. Next, add the asiago slice and toast till the cheese has melted. Spread the mayonnaise evenly on both of the toasted slices. Add the basil and tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the cheese is melted, place the chicken on the tomatoes. Place the other slice on top and cut into half before serving.
Chicken Kathi Rolls
I remember the taste of the kathi roll I had over three years ago in Delhi, like it was yesterday. There is a specific restaurant that makes it just right and I always make it a point to eat there. Kathi roll is essentially a tortilla cooked with a layer of a spiced egg mixture and then topped with perfectly marinated and cooked chicken or mutton pieces. Onion relish is added and served as a rolled up taco. On the tables, there is a bottle of cilantro and mint chutney as well as ketchup. It tastes best with a combination of both the chutney and the ketchup- it may sound strange but the sweetness of the ketchup goes very well with the spice and tartness of the chutney. I grew up in Delhi and have been eating this dish for as long as I remember. People from Mumbai have their own version of the Kathi roll- it’s called a Frankie. Depending on whom you talk to, they will claim theirs superior. According to me, the one we get in Delhi is yummier! Both versions are delicious, but also full of fat! The homemade version is quite healthy. I use whole-wheat tortillas and the chicken tikkas are marinated in low fat sour cream. My daughter loves it but of course without the onions and chutney! Beer goes very well with this dish or even a Prosecco. My husband makes Kir Royale, which is a bit of black currant liquor topped with champagne- it’s delicious with a Kathi roll.
Chicken Kathi Rolls
- One portion of chicken tikka (the recipe calls for a pound of chicken), cut into one inch pieces and keep warm
- 6 whole-wheat tortillas
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
Egg Mixture
- 4 eggs, beaten lightly
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
In a medium bowl, add the eggs, salt, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Beat lightly and keep aside.
Onion Relish
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lime, juiced
Cilantro Chutney-recipe to follow in another blog.
In a small bowl mix the onion, salt, cayenne pepper and limejuice. Keep aside.
In a wide non-stick frying pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil. Add one tortilla to the pan and heat both sides, about a minute on each side. Take out of the pan and add 1/3 cup of the egg mixture. Immediately top the egg mixture with the warmed tortilla. Cook on medium high heat, till the egg is cooked at the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the egg tortilla and cook the other side for about a minute. Place the egg tortilla on a serving plate and place the chicken pieces in the middle from top to bottom. Add about a tablespoon or more of the onion relish and the cilantro chutney. Roll the tortilla like a taco or a burrito. Cut in half and serve.