Tuesday, April 17, 2012

simple but amazing deli sandwich






Probably the best toasted sandwich ever, and I'm not biased in the slightest. Totally.

The secret is you have to fry it - no pannini press to squish the hell out of it, no toasting under the grill, no putting in a jaffle maker, even though they have their place.

No, for this sandwich, it has to be fried in butter. I'm sorry.

Once upon a time I was so over being underweight I decided to go on a reverse diet. My doctor said I needed to eat more calories than I burned, so I researched for weeks on what foods were calorie-dense and tried to incorporate them into my diet. I ate til I was absolutely stuffed. I was fed up with people making unwanted comments on my weight - something it appeared I had absolutely no control over, and felt awful about, so I thought if I could do something, I would. 

This included making a sandwich like this, frying it in butter, then covering it in mayonnaise.

I'm not going to suggest that this time, but ohmygod it was good. 

I don't do sandwiches, usually. I ate so many of them growing up I got thoroughly sick of them. I find them so unappetising now... unless they're toasted! I usually buy quite dense bread and I don't like sandwiches made like that. So if I can transmogrify the bread into something toasty and delicious, with a melty inside, I'm more likely to eat it.

I usually fill this sandwich with all the gorgeous things the deli counter has to offer, sandwich together with at least two types of cheese, and a lil something extra - in this case avocado, but pesto is perfect. Feel free to pack it with whatever you fancy, but promise me you'll fry it. Promise.


Ingredients:
2 slices crusty sourdough
vintage cheese
feta cheese
avocado
semi-dried tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Spread butter on one side of the sourdough slices.

2. On the non-buttered side (I find it helps if I put the buttered sides together and pile the stuff on top before assembling the sandwich in the pan!), spread avocado and sprinkle with salt. Then add cheese, semi-dried tomatoes, feta and basil. Grind pepper over.

3. Place bottom of sandwich in a buttered frying pan on medium. Place top on sandwich, buttered-side up and cook until the underside is golden and cheese is beginning to melt.

4. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown.

22 comments:

  1. Honestly, if you don't fry it in butter - what is the point?! You might as well just buy a t-shirt that says yes. I have given up on life.

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  2. Traci Sparkle DevlinApril 17, 2012 at 9:19 AM

    This is the ONLY way I do toasted sandwiches. They are so good. And hey, what's the harm if the butter is on the outside rather than the inside?!

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  3. Or one that says "I don't care if my sandwiches taste like shit".

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  4. Some people put it on both sides....

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  5. I ALWAYS put it on both sides.

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  6. Oh YUM! I am totally going to make this right now. But you know, with what I have here. I have some grape tomatoes, no avacado, but I have cheese =D <---cheese, I haz it.

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  7. Oh hello, you've got a new look. Apologies if it's old news now, but I haven't been 'on the blogging circuit' for a couple of weeks now and I'm only just seeing you. I like it - a bit vintage, a bit pretty, a bit study and trustworthy. All you. x

    PS - I don't like avocado. Yeah, I know, what's wrong with me and all that... it's just green and sort of slimey and a little bit melt-in-your-mouth which I reserve soley for sweets. 

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  8. Hello! It's only been a couple of days, don't worry! I'm pleased you said all those things, because I was thinking if people didn't like it, at least they would probably get used to it... so it's good to know someone does!
    I like avocado, but I HATE cooked avocado. I don't usually put it on toasted sandwiches, but it was safe this time. cooked avocado is horrifically disgusting xx

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  9. And now I need to go fry a sandwich. Gah. 

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  10. mmmmmmm! yum!
    I don't 'do' sandwiches very often either, but yours sounds divine!

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  11. Feta cheese should be avoided by pregnant woman as the unborn child could be put at risk of Listeria...

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  12. I love sangas done like this, and I would love so much to go back to the days when I was too skinny and HAD to add extra butter. Now I do it for ahem, 'other' reasons.

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  13. I'm not telling any pregnant women to eat it!

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  14. I do it for any reason I can think of haha xx

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  15. I've gotta make it awesome before I can eat it!

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  16. I thought about this at midnight. I needed a fried sandwich so bad!

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  17.  I would've done it when I was preggers, because it's been heated, thus killing any germs. My kids survived.

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  18. Whoa!! That looks AMAZING!! Must...try... xx

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