Grilled Cheese with Porchetta

Grilled cheese is easy to make and a staple for many toddlers. I enjoy a fresh grilled cheese sandwich to start my day, or as a nice lunchtime treat. Mommy likes to sneak in a bit of extra protein, and a big punch of flavour, by adding some deli meat to my grilled cheese. Toasted bread, gooey melted cheese, and savoury deli meat are easy to love.

Mommy invented this recipe even though she has no love for cheese. Daddy and I love the meaty addition to our grilled cheese sandwiches. Just a couple of slices go a long way and the extra flavour truly livens up this dish. We love it when mommy makes her special grilled cheese sandwiches for us on weekends. It’s my favourite daddy and daughter lunch.

There are many variations of this classic dish and I have found my favourite with this simple recipe. I prefer my grilled cheese sandwiches made with french style white bread. Mommy and I have tested several types of cheese and various deli meats but this combination is my favourite. I think you’ll love what we’ve come up with but feel free to substitute your favourites to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread

1 one inch cube of mozzarella cheese

1 one inch cube of mild cheddar cheese

2 slices of porchetta pork loin roast

Butter for frying

Preparation:

Begin by shredding both types of cheese into one bowl. Mommy likes to use the handheld rotary grater for cheese, but you could use a box grater or whatever you happen to have. It’s not a huge amount of cheese and you want things to end up blending evenly, so grate the cheese medium-fine. The largest holes on a box grater probably won’t do well for this recipe.

We use the pure pork loin roasted porchetta. Remove the fat and rind on the outside of the porchetta. Put one slice on top of the other and roll into a tube shape. Cut the tube in half lengthwise, and then cut each half lengthwise once more. Collect the four long pieces of tube and slice in the opposite direction cutting the porchetta into thin strips. Add the porchetta to the shredded cheese, and toss until combined evenly.

Melt the butter on low heat in a medium-large sized pan. Arrange both slices of bread in the pan so that the outside of the sandwich faces down. Move the bread around the pan so that the bottom of each slice is evenly coated with butter. You could also soften the butter and spread it on the bread with a knife, but mommy finds this method is easier if you keep your butter in the fridge like we do.

Sprinkle the cheese and porchetta mixture in an even layer on one slice of bread. Place the other slice of bread on top to lock in the heat that will melt the cheese. Adjust the temperature to medium and cook until the bread begins to turn golden brown. Flip the grilled cheese sandwich over and toast the other side to a golden brown colour.

The grilled cheese sandwich is done when it is beautifully toasted on the outside and full of melted cheese on the inside. Place the grilled cheese sandwich on a bit of paper towel to absorb the excess butter and pat the top with a second piece of paper towel. The cheese will be very hot. Allow it to cool before serving.

I like my grilled cheese with the crust removed and cut into bite size cubes. My preferred choice of beverage to go with my grilled cheese is a bit of juice. Apple and grape are my favourites. I find that juice is a refreshing choice for a somewhat greasy meal. Daddy likes his grilled cheese simply cut in half and served with a cup of coffee. To each their own I suppose.