Wow, so the pressure is on! I'm feeling the heat, Jiggsy2point0 has been breathing down my neck for another post, mates have been telling me they like the posts and want to see what else I can cook and the wife has been hassling me to put up some recipes. In that case, I thought I'd jump straight to one of my surefire winners - EPIC TOASTED SANDWICH!
I have a list of these things... every man should. Both for nights when you're on your own and you can cook whatever the hell you want (a la tonight!) and for when the ravenous hordes turn up demanding sustenance and a bit of experi-cooking might be a bit of a risk. The winner I'm sharing tonight is a simple one, but a bloody good one. It's not so much about the skill required, but more about the sheer epicness and the little tips here and there to help make an awesome sarnie.
Bread selection is key here. Personally I like to use a nice Turkish Garlic Bread like this one. I generally try and steer clear of the ones that have too much cumin seed in them. I find that it tends to over-power the flavours and cumin smells like feet. And body odour.
If it's not already cut, use a bread knife to split the bread lengthways. Try and make both halves about the same thickness. Then, put a thin spread of your favourite sauces on either side. Don't use too much otherwise your filling will end up just sliding out when it's cooked. Ever eaten a Maccas Mighty Angus where the teenager out the back has been over-zealous with the caramelised onions and mayo? Yeah, it sucks. So don't do it.
The sauce I used is a mix of some nice chutney and a bitchin' Jamaican sauce - there's also a little bit of pure Scotch Bonnet sauce for a little kick. Choice of sauce is quite important - especially if you are trying to impress the mates. My advice, as with that of many is to buy the best you can afford. You don't need much, so splash out if you can.
I'll warn you know... this sandwich has a lot of cheese. I mean LOTS-AH. This recipe is not for the faint-hearted. Or the weak-hearted for that matter. I've used Mozzarella (for stretch) and Gruyere (for flavour) in alternating layers. Pro-tip: Don't use too much cheese on each layer, there'll be plenty in it by the time we're finished with it.
Now for the meat. And by CRICKEY there's gonna be a lot of meat.
First layer - Champagne Ham. A Trick with anything sliced or shaved like this is to kinda crumple it up into bundles rather than just laying it flat. This gives the cheese some texture to stick to and stops the top and bottom from just sliding apart.
Next - Sopressa. Big, thinly cut and fatty - I fricken LOVE Sopressa. This stuff was a bit dicey looking - kinda grey, but it'd have to be green and crawling to stop me from eating it.
Next up - roast chicken breast. Now, I can hear you saying "Bro, isn't chicken breast for chicks?" Well...this one is BBQ flavour... and it was left out all day so I am dicing with death. DEATH I tell you!
And now - Hot Chorizo. And not the rubbish bland kind you get from the chiller. Get the nice stuff from over the deli. It's got much more of a kick. Like a spanish footballer taking a penalty with your b*llocks...while wearing those little matador shoes with the fluffy bit on the end.
And finally - the 'Pièce de Cardiac-Arréstistance': BACON. BOOM! I've chosen 4 rashers of the streaky variety, cooked in a lovely pool of it's own fat. NOM. But seriously, cook it first, then drain it - there's plenty of oil in the cheese already.
I like a bit of heat in my food, so some extra Jalapeños never go a miss. If you're afraid of chillis, don't be afraid of these little guys... they go down smooth (but can come out fighting).
Just to keep the wife happy - some greens to top it off.
JUST KIDDING!
At this stage, you'll notice this ol' sarnie is about 4 foot thick. Well...maybe not quite that thick, but as you can see next to this regular tin can...pretty bloody thick! This can cause an issue...if you chuck this into the sandwich press now, you'll end up with something as cold as 40 bastards in the middle while the outside will be nice and crispy.
Ergo, ipso facto, we need to heat the old fella up. Not your old fella. I am still talking about the sandwich. Filth. Anyways, either pop it in the oven at 125°C for 25 mins or in the microwave for 4 mins on medium power. Pro-tip: Whenever using a microwave, use half the power, but twice the time - you'll notice much more even heating and far lesser nuclear waste-ish tasting food.
Nice and melty out of the oven.
At this point, chuck it into the sandwich press on the largest height setting. Don't let the top of the press put too much pressure on the sandwich. Otherwise, as your cheese continues to melt it'll kinda splurge out the side. Cheese that spurts out is cheese that's not gonna end up in yer belleh. Do not want.
If you haven't got a sandwich press, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. Maybe turn the heat down a little so it doesn't dry out. 35 mins total should be sweet. The wait will be worth it!
BOOM. Show me a cafe that'll put together a hogie like this bad-boy and I'll show you a picture of a fat, greying dude who likes to cook... a nude picture.
Only thing left...
...is to get it down ya' neck! (Shuttup about the carpet.)
Keep an eye out for my next post which will be about my sauce collection - if, like me food is simply a vessel for sauce, you won't want to miss it!
Chur, Jeffois.
Hehe awesome!
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