In The Kitchen With Kanta : Grilled Cheese toastie

I don’t know about you, but personally I don’t always have the time or energy to make a lavish healthy meal, with all the trimmings.  After a long hard day of baking and decorating, like today; I just want to put my feet up with a tasty and hearty bite, and a cool soft drink. So today I’m going to make a delicious, warm, and gooey, Grilled Cheese toastie, with a sweet and tangy tomato dip.  I’m so excited; the thought alone is making me salivate.

I hear some of you say “what is this ‘Grilled cheese toastie’ that you speak of Kanta?”

Well…a grilled cheese toastie is basically a sandwich with melted cheese inside it; and yes it is different to cheese on toast.  It sometimes contains a variety of tasty extras like bacon, tuna or veggies, but cheese is always the primary ingredient.  It’s the perfect midnight snack or soup-dipper and the perfect thing to tuck into after a night out of drinking and partying.  It’s great for children and never turned down by adults. It is salty, gooey, buttery, and comforting in all the right ways; with the right amount of crunch, and most importantly; quick, cheap and cheerful.

Before we get started on the recipe, here are a few grilled cheese facts.

A grilled cheese must….

• Be a closed sandwich
• Have cheese as the primary ingredient. Other ingredients can complement the cheese, but shouldn’t overwhelm it.

• Be made with sliced bread
• Be served hot all the way through, with the cheese completely melted.
• Be cooked on a flat, greased surface (like a frying pan) until both sides are golden brown; and must never be baked or deep-fried.

So without further ado, here’s today’s recipe

Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 1 person

Ingredients

For the grilled cheese

• 2 slices of wholemeal bread (you may use white bread)
• About 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (you can use any cheese that is not dry, white and crumbly like goats cheese)
• ¼ tin of Tuna, drained and seasoned lightly with a pinch of salt and paprika
• 3 tbsp salted butter

For the dip

• 1 small tomato, chopped
• ¼ onion, chopped
• 2 tsps Hellman’s light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp thyme (optional)
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Method

Turn on the stove to a low–medium heat.  On a frying pan melt the butter, and brown each slice of bread on both sides first.

Remove from the pan.  Now add cheese to each slice of bread and spread the tuna on top of the cheese, so that when the sandwich is closed, the tuna will be in the center.  Close and cut the sandwich in half, as desired.

Melt more butter (if needed), and place the sandwich on the pan, covering it with a lid; cook for 2 minutes, until the bread is evenly golden brown on the bottom side. Flip, cover and cook again for about 2 more minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is visibly melted.

Meanwhile add all the ingredients for the dip into a small bowl and mix until everything is combined; remembering to wash your tomato and onion before chopping.

Serving

Plate up this wonderful and tantalizing grilled cheese, eat it whilst it’s still warm; open up your favorite soft drink, relax and enjoy this delicious treat.  You deserve it!!

 

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.