Gourmet Cheese, Tomato & Carmelized Onion Panini

Cheese & tomato sandwiches, grilled cheese, and cheese & onion just about anything are traditional common grub in my native land. In the best tradition of my adopted country; however, I've combined these flavours with some local specialties and a cooking technique from yet a third country (the Italian pressed & grilled sandwich or "panino") to create this delicious sandwich. Simple food with gourmet taste.



Ingredients:

• hearty whole grain, multi-grain bread
  
• onion, thinly sliced
  
• tomato, sliced
  
• chèvre
  
• aged Canadian cheddar, sliced
  
• extra virgin olive oil
  
• olive oil for frying

Notes:

Panini are traditionally made in a ridged sandwich press which toasts both slices of bread while heating the sandwich through and fusing the fillings together. The ridges give the panino its characteristic stripes. If you don't have such a press; however, you can still enjoy this delicious sandwich by cooking it in a skillet and pressing down the top of the sandwich with a second heavy skillet or other weight, then flipping the sandwich halfway through the cooking time to toast the opposite side of the bread. You won't have the stripes using this second method, but you'll still get all of the flavour!

Directions:

Stir fry onion in olive oil over medium heat until onions are caramelized (soft and caramel in colour).
Spread chèvre on one side of each slice of bread.
Place tomato slices on one slice of bread for each sandwhich.
Top tomato with slices of Canadian cheddar. (I've had great results making this sandwich with Balderson's 2 Year Old Royal Canadian Cheddar.)
Spread carmelized onions over top of cheddar.

Top sandwiches with second slice of bread (cheese side inside).
Brush outside of sandwiches lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
Cook in a hot sandwich press or skillet with top weight until both sides of the sandwhich are toasted and the cheeses have melted, fusing the fillings together.
Enjoy hot off the grill.

Zucchini and Corn Enchiladas

Here's a vegetarian derivative of my popular chicken enchiladas recipe.

Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying and greasing pan
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1 zucchini
  
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels
  
• 2 cups hot (spicy) tomato-based salsa
  
• 1/2 lb aged cheddar cheese, grated
  
• 10 seven-inch whole wheat tortillas
  
• sour cream (to garnish)
  
• guacamole (to garnish)

Directions:

Lightly grease a lasagna pan or other large casserole dish with olive oil.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or wok.

Stir fry garlic and onion until onion turns translucent and soft.

Add zucchini and corn and stir fry until cooked through.

Add one cup of salsa, mixing well.

Remove filling mixture from the heat.

Lay one tortilla flat on a large plate or other flat surface.

Spoon a row of filling across the tortilla, about 1/3 of the way in from the near edge.

Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese on top of the filling.

Starting at the near edge, roll up the tortilla around the filling.

Place rolled enchilada into greased casserole dish, seam side down.

Continue filling and rolling enchiladas as above until all are lined up side by side in the casserole dish.

Spread remaining salsa over top of enchiladas.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of salsa.

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Serve warm with sour cream and a side of guacamole.

Chicken Enchiladas

Last week my father was craving Mexican food and asked me to take him to Taco Bell.
I told him no. I'd make him Mexican cuisine with real food instead.
This was the result.

Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying and greasing pan
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips
  
• 2 cups hot (spicy) tomato-based salsa
  
• 1/2 lb aged cheddar cheese, grated
  
• 10 seven-inch whole wheat tortillas
  
• sour cream (to garnish)
  
• guacamole (to garnish)

Directions:

Lightly grease a lasagna pan or other large casserole dish with olive oil.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or wok.

Stir fry garlic and onion until onion turns translucent and soft.

Add chicken and stir fry until cooked through.

Continuing to stir fry, use the edge of a spatula to dice chicken strips into small pieces.

Add one cup of salsa, mixing well.

Remove chicken/salsa mixture from the heat.

Lay one tortilla flat on a large plate or other flat surface.

Spoon a row of chicken/salsa mixture across the tortilla, about 1/3 of the way in from the near edge.

Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese on top of the chicken/salsa.

Starting at the near edge, roll up the tortilla around the filling.

Place rolled enchilada into greased casserole dish, seam side down.

Continue filling and rolling enchiladas as above until all are lined up side by side in the casserole dish.

Spread remaining salsa over top of enchiladas.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of salsa.

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Serve warm with sour cream and a side of guacamole.

Bruschetta à la Dragon

Garlic bread with the works!



Ingredients:

• 1 whole grain baguette
  
• garlic butter
  
• thick & spicy tomato sauce
  
• 1 large tomato
  
• 1 yellow onion
  
• fresh basil leaves
  
• cheddar cheese
  
• mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Slice baguette open and place cut sides up on a baking sheet.
Spread cut surfaces with garlic butter.


Spread thin layer of tomato sauce on top of butter.


Dice tomato and onion.
Tear basil leaves into small pieces.
Distribute tomato, onion and basil on top of tomato sauce.


Grate cheeses.
Top baguettes with grated cheese.


Place baguettes under the grill and toast until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon Pasta Bake

I was never a fan of "macaroni and cheese". Not as a child, nor as a starving student, nor a starving artist, nor a wilderness camper in the middle of Algonquin in the pouring rain with nothing else to eat. There's simply never been a time in my life when consuming those boxed dinners of macaroni noodles and powdered "cheese" product seemed like a good idea. When I recently came across Clever Karen's recipe for "Grown Up Mac n' Cheese" however, my eyes were opened to the potential of this (much-maligned-by-the-insta-food-industry) dish and I was inpired to try my own hand at a "macaroni & cheese" creation. This was the result.



Ingredients:

• 1 lb (dry weight) whole wheat rotini
  
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
  
• 1 cup tzatziki
  
• 150 g chèvre
  
• fresh dill
  
• 3/4 cup grated aged Cheddar cheese
  
• 3/4 cup grated Lancashire cheese
  
• 3/4 cup grated Montery Jack cheese with hot pepper flakes
  
• 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
  
• 200 g smoked salmon, torn into small pieces
  
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

Cook pasta until al dente.
Cream together ricotta, tzatziki and chèvre in a large bowl.
Stir in Cheddar, Lancashire, Jack & Swiss cheeses and dill.
Add pasta and salmon to cheese mixture and combine well.
Transfer contents to a large lasagna pan or other oven-proof dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Remove foil, top with grated parmesan and bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
Serve warm.

Jalepeño Cheddar Soup

This recipe makes a hearty, delicious, brightly coloured winter soup. The jalepeños give the soup a nice flavour, but are not the hottest peppers available. Add some of your favourite hot sauce or a few habeneros for a spicier soup.



Ingredients:

• 2 x 796 ml tins no salt added tomatoes
  
• 2 red bell peppers
  
• 3 cups carrots
  
• 9 jalepeño peppers
  
• 1-2 yellow onions
  
• 2 heads oven roasted garlic
  
• 1 lb aged cheddar cheese
  
• basil
  
• oregano
  
• olive oil

Directions:

Peel onions and carrots.
Remove seeds and stalks from peppers.
Cut onions, carrots and peppers into large pieces.
Toss with olive oil in a large oven proof dish.

Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes.
Transfer roasted vegetables to a large pan or stock pot.
Add tinned tomatoes and their juices.
Add flesh of oven roasted garlics.
Season generously with basil and oregano.
Stir all ingredients together and heat to a gentle boil.
Simmer until vegetables have softened.
Purée soup in a food processor or blender.
Return puréed soup to the pan.
Finely grate cheddar cheese.
Stir cheese into soup and heat until melted.

Enjoy this soup as a meal on its own, or with a salad or a flavourful bread such as my Ancient Grains Focaccia.

Cheddar & Herb Scones

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. all purpose flour
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 tsp. baking powder
  
• 2 oz. butter
  
• fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
  
• flesh of one oven roasted garlic
  
• 1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
  
• 5 fl. oz. milk

Directions:

Mix flour, salt and baking powder together.
Incorporate butter until mixture is crumbly.
Add basil, garlic and cheddar. Mix well.
Add just enough milk to hold dough together, forming dough into a ball with your hands.
Roll dough out one inch thick.
Cut into rounds with cookie cutter.
Place scones onto greased baking sheet.
Brush tops of scones with milk.
Bake for 7-10 minutes at 425°F.