One of my guilty pleasures is watching movies and TV shows that highlight food. On Netflix, I love Flavorful Origins, the Korean Rhapsody series (pork belly, fried chicken and han woo), the KFoodShow series (banchan, broth and kimchi) and Somebody Feed Phil.
And, when it was still there, I watched Chef on repeat.
In one of the best scenes of the film, the chef lovingly prepares a grilled cheese sandwich at home for his son. Even without a paying customer to impress, the chef pours just as much energy into the work, never scrimping and never taking short-cuts.
He butters two slices of bread (one side only), drizzles oil on the skillet, lays the unbuttered side of the bread in the hot oil, piles on slices of cheese, then lifts one slice of bread and inverts it on top of the other. The top is spread with more butter. The heat is lowered and the sandwich is cooked until the cheese slices melt.
On the screen, it was magnificent. But two things made me pause. First, toasting the bread in oil. Second, more butter after the sandwich has been assembled.
You see, when I eat a sandwich, I don’t like to feel grease on the bread. Not on the outside anyway which is the part that touches my fingers.
I know, I know. Not everyone feels that way about sandwiches. In fact, in Season 6 of Somebody Feed Phil (which came out some six years after Chef), I learned that in Santiago, Chile, a sandwich is traditionally eaten with a fork and knife. It’s not a portable meal at all but something you have to sit down for.
But, back to grilled cheese sandwich. How do I make it at home? I do butter one side of both slices of bread but I toast the unbuttered sides bread in an oil-free pan. And I do like adding other ingredients to the cheese. Here’s an example.
Grilled cheese sandwiches with black olives and sun-dried tomatoes
Prep time: 8 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Yield: 3 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 6 slices loaf bread
- 200 grams (or more) mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained)
- 1 tablespoon sliced pitted black olives (drained)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Process
- Cut off the crusts of the bread slices on all four sides (an optional step).
- Grate the cheese (or cut into tiny pieces).
- Chop the sun-dried tomatoes, olives and parsley.
- In a bowl, toss the mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and parsley with salt and pepper.
- Divide the cheese mixture into three portions. Spread one portion on three slices of bread. Use the remaining bread slices to cover the filling.
- Grill the sandwiches (in the oven, air fryer or oven toaster, or on a stove top grill or a large skillet) until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Depending on where you grill the sandwiches, turning them over may be required.
- Cut each sandwich in half (optional). Serve immediately.
More bread and cheese
Korean cream cheese garlic bread – While shopping for ingredients at a Korean grocery in the neighborhood, my husband got intrigued by the bread in the bakery section. He asked if we wanted to try the buns, I said sure, and he bought four that we reheated in the oven toaster at home. Our verdict? Too sweet. Cloyingly sweet. So, we made our home version. Get the recipe.
All-day breakfast sausage and egg burrito – The ever popular breakfast combo of sausage and eggs gets a new twist in this delicious portable breakfast. Get the recipe.
Beef brisket BBQ quesadillas – When we make beef brisket BBQ, we cook a kilogram or more of meat. What we don’t finish in one meal, we keep in the fridge. Instead of simply reheating and serving the beef as usual, we like to get creative. Get the recipe.
Snack attack: toasted flatbread with cheese dip – Make an easy snack by toasting flatbread and serving it with flavored cheese softened in the microwave. It’s ready in five minutes but you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. That good! Get the recipe.
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