Tag Archives: Cheese

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich With Oven-Roasted Tomatoes & Parsley-Jalapeno Paste

If you’ve been in San Diego for the past few weeks, you would be wondering where is that glorious San Diego sunshine that we are known for. It’s been nothing but rain and overcast skies and nary a day above 70 degrees. Of course, for our mid-West and East coast friends, you are now reading this with great disdain for our inability to tolerate any temperature below 70. We can’t help it – we are spoiled. In my case though I don’t mind the colder weather as much as I mind what it means for the backyard garden. It is in the decline of production that I see the first signs of the end of summer, and am reminded that I need to get the jackets cleaned before the winter really hits us. The tomatoes have yielded the last of their crop; the cucumbers have given up their valiant fight; the basil plants are beginning to go to seed and the zucchini – that prodigious producer – has finally kicked the bucket. Time to pull up the old plants and start with the winter garden. In the meantime, here’s a sandwich that serves as an ode to summers past: grilled zucchini with parsley-jalapeno paste and roasted tomatoes. We made this in the good old days of summer.

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich With Oven Roasted Tomatoes And Hot Salsa Verde
Grilled Zucchini Sandwich With Oven Roasted Tomatoes And Hot Salsa Verde

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Smoked Salmon Pizza With Garlic Butter Fried Portobello Mushrooms And Parmesan

This was a pizza Anders put together during one of our weekly pizz-off’s, where we wave goodbye to the old week… with a friendly pizza competition amongst friends. The goal is not to win, but to have a great time (and win). Our newfound love for smoked paprika once again manifested itself in a generous sprinkle on top, which has the odd side effect of producing some rather red-tinted photos (for which we apologize). As we were all sitting around the table, sipping red wine like the pro’s, we reminisced about our childhood cardboard-pizzas from the nearby Domino’s or local pizza pusher, and wondered why we didn’t make our own pizzas while in college when it’s really not that hard and so much better.

Smoked Salmon Pizza With Butter Garlic Fried Portobello Mushrooms And Parmesan Wafer thin slices of Lemon, Onion, Stilton Blue Cheese, Smoked Paprika, Tomato Sauce with Honey and Anise
Smoked Salmon Pizza With Butter Garlic Fried Portobello Mushrooms And Parmesan Wafer thin slices of Lemon, Onion, Stilton Blue Cheese, Smoked Paprika, Tomato Sauce with Honey and Anise
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Grilled Fig Pizza With Goat Cheese And Honey

Reason number 1099 why I love living in Southern California: fig season! We don’t have our own fig tree – a gardening oversight that we plan on remedying soon. We have the perfect spot picked out and Wendie has done her research to determine which variety to grow. More on that later. Between the local farmers markets and generous friends we’ve eaten more figs this season than in our entire lives. We love eating them fresh from the tree and have also experimented with making preserves, jams, sandwiches and this latest use – on pizzas. This little configuration was served as dessert in a recent pizza party: fig and goat cheese pizza with caramelized figs and onions.

Grilled Fig Pizza With Goat Cheese And Honey
Grilled Fig Pizza With Goat Cheese And Honey

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The ArtiClogger: Monte Cristo Cinnamon Sandwich (Poway Style)

Our friends Shelley and Jens have a thing for stuff that is deep fried. Being from the south, Shelley grew up frying fowl, but Jens is Danish and just developed a taste for it after meeting Shelley (we think). In any case, their love is strong so for Jens’ birthday last month, they had a ‘bring stuff to deep-fry’ party. We had deep fried chicken legs and thighs and wings, battered deep fried shrimp, deep fried Twinkies (Better than un-fried I might add, although still disgusting), and of course we brought; Sandwiches. We were a bit shocked to discover this, but of course someone has done this before, and there is a famous sandwich called the Monte Cristo with turkey, ham and cheese, and served with sugar and jam on top; a sweet, possible dessert, sandwich. So, we made it (and it was good, but fattening like a neutron bomb in your belly). This was an evening party and we forgot our good camera, so please excuse the photo quality…

Monte Cristo Cinnamon Sandwich
Monte Cristo Cinnamon Sandwich

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Review: Belen Artisan Bakers Ciabatta Roastbeef Sandwich

The Belen Artisan Bakery is owned by José. It is located in Escondido a bit of the beaten path. They specialize in European artisan breads, and so naturally we went there only to find they made sandwiches. We had a roast beef sandwich on ciabatta bread, with avocado, tomato and olives. The bread was perfect; just a bit crunchy on the outside, thick, and fresh and spongy on the inside, and you could clearly taste the freshness that so many sandwiches lack. Service was speedy, and sitting outside on their little patio a delight, despite the odd location and nearby road.

Review: Belen Artisan Bakers Ciabatta Roast beef Sandwich
Review: Belen Artisan Bakers Ciabatta Roast beef Sandwich - Lovely cut-through of the sandwich

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Pizza With Sautéed Leeks, Grilled Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Whipped with Lemon Zest

This summer we have introduced a new tradition in the Amazing Sandwich home – Pizza Cook-off Fridays. What started as dinner with a friend who came over to show us how to make pizza on the grill, has morphed into my new favorite evening of the week. The basic concept is this: get some friends together, Anders and I provide the dough and competitors bring their favorite wines and toppings for 3-4 hours of trash talking, ardent pizza making, even more ardent eating, and just a wonderfully good time.  So far, we’ve had some awesome creations: classic margarita with fresh tomatoes from our respective gardens; pesto with grilled mushrooms; feta with hummus, grilled pork and finished with tahini drizzle; smoked salmon with thin lemon slivers; apricots with prosciutto and arugula. But my favorite so far was one entry from last weekend: sautéed leeks with garlic, grilled oyster and shimeji mushrooms, buffalo mozzarella and then topped with dollops of a whipped goat cheese/lemon zest blend and sprinkled with fresh thyme.  It was divine. I mean really…it was soo good it bears repeating – it was divine!  We whipped the goat cheese with a fork, added some lemon zest and bit of olive oil.  After baking in the oven, it was so light and creamy and the lemon just gave it the perfect amount of tang.  I can’t wait till Friday – we might just make this one again.

Leeks with grilled shimeji and oyster mushrooms and topped with whipped goat cheese
Leeks with grilled shimeji and oyster mushrooms and topped with whipped goat cheese

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Figs, Prosciutto, Blue Cheese, and Arugula Sandwich

It’s that time of year in our local farmers’ markets.  Our longer than average spring has given way to summer and with it has come one of the fruits that I only started eating when I moved to California – figs, glorious figs.   There are some fruits whose appearance and tastes you can describe by comparing it to another. But a fig… Nothing tastes like a fig. It just is.  Figs are popping up all over and once again, I am beginning to flirt with the idea of adding a tree to my garden.  Until then though, I have kind friends who help satisfy my cravings by sharing from the bounty of their own gardens.  This sandwich is the result of one such gift – a basket of black mission pigs.

While there are many ways to add figs to your diet, this is by far my favorite. The saltiness of the prosciutto, creaminess of the Cambazola (a soft ripened triple cream blue cheese) and the nuttiness of arugula – what at taste sensation. If ever a sandwich could be described as sensual, then this is it.

Figs Prosciutto Blue Cheese and Arugula Sandwich
Figs Prosciutto Blue Cheese and Arugula Sandwich

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Upside Down Fajita Steak Blue Cheese Avocado Burger

Leftover fajitas can be a wonderful thing ! 🙂

Upside Down Fajita Steak Blue Cheese Avocado Burger
Upside Down Fajita Steak Blue Cheese Avocado Burger

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Sandwich Roll With Tomatoes, Crayfish Salad, Basil, Parmesan And Sautéed Leeks

A fantastic sandwich, using the highly undervalued leek. That’s right. When is the last time YOU cooked with leeks? That’s what we thought. We made the rolls specifically for this sandwich, they have a center (which you can’t see on the photos) of pesto-infused dough. It was a grand experiment, but in reality they didn’t rise quite as expected. This was our best specimen of the lot.

Sandwich Roll With Tomatoes, Crayfish Salad, Basil, Parmesan And Sautéed Leeks
Sandwich Roll With Tomatoes, Crayfish Salad, Basil, Parmesan And Sautéed Leeks

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Midnight Sandwich: Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Cheese, and Italian Salsa Verde On Pita Bread

When I was growing up, I had this thing with my mom where she would wake up around midnight, wake me up, sneak in the kitchen and eat a sandwich. This was undoubtedly quite unhealthy, since she had a weakness for fat-sandwiches… No, I don’t mean ‘sandwiches that are fattening’, I mean literally bread with fat and salt on it. If you have good fat, like duck fat, this can be quite delicious. In any case, I shed the habit many years ago. Last week however I was working late and got hungry and I know my mom would approve; I went and made a sandwich. Thanks mom for all the fun midnight sandwiches and good chats.

Midnight Sandwich: Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Cheese, and Green Stuff
Midnight Sandwich: Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Cheese, and Green Stuff

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