Weather: 30 degrees, cloudy and windy
What I’m listening to: Where Does the Good Go, Tegan and Sara
Mozzarella cheese + Big, thick slices of tomato + Fresh basil leaves + Toasy, olive-oiled sourdough bread = Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich Heaven. You’ll get it on your fingers, you’ll get it on your face. You’ll dip and drip and lick and smack. And you’ll love every blessed minute.
I served mine with this Quick & Spicy Tomato Soup from Giada De Laurentiis, which was delightful for dipping – a grown-up, chunky version of tomato soup with Italian flare. A quick note about the soup: I’m not posting the recipe here because the success of this recipe almost entirely depends on your feelings about your marinara sauce, as it makes up the base of the soup. If you’re not wild about your sauce, you won’t be wild about the soup, either. If you adore your marinara, then you’ll adore the soup. The results will vary.
Like balsamic on your Caprese Salad? Then, by all means, drizzle a little over this sandwich. This will make it even messier, and perhaps, even yummier.
Caprese Grilled Cheese
Inspiration from [Yammie’s Noshery|http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2012/02/caprese-grilled-cheese.html]
- sourdough bread, sliced
- extra virgin olive oil
- mozzarella cheese (fresh recommended), sliced or shredded
- large ripe tomato, sliced
- fresh basil leaves
- sea salt
- 1 clove garlic, cut in half
Heat a frying pan or flat griddle pan to medium-low. Brush olive oil onto one side of each slice of sourdough bread.
On a cutting board or other work surface, assemble sandwich: bread (dry side up), mozzarella, tomato, basil leaves, sea salt, mozzarella, bread (dry side down) - being generous with all the ingredients.
Carefully place sandwiches in hot pan and cook on oiled side until golden and crispy. Flip and repeat.
Take garlic half and rub on the browned side of each slice of bread. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slice on the bias and serve hot.