It’s that time of year where we are all going mad for asparagus or rhubarb.  Both have short seasons and therefore seem to hold an elevated place in foodie world.  Having decided that I wanted a toastie for my lunch I then started to ponder the filling.  Feeling experimental I decided an asparagus toastie was the way to go and it did not disappoint.  Of course when you are putting something between toasted bread and smothering it with melted cheese you can be pretty sure it’s going to taste good.  I lightly roasted the asparagus in extra virgin olive oil which gave it a nice crusty outer edge while still retaining a slight bite to the centre.  I think if you wanted to take this sandwich up a level then a fried egg inside would also be amazing.

Makes one toastie.

6 asparagus spears washed and the woody ends chopped off.  They should be about the length of your bread.

Extra virgin olive oil

Hard goat cheese or other strong flavoured cheese.

2 slices of gluten free bread.

Preheat the oven Gas Mark 7, 220°C, 425°F

Place the asparagus on a roasting tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season and roast for about ten minutes until just cooked but still retaining a little bite.

Assemble your toastie by your preferred method.  I cook my toastie using the grill.  Layer the base slice of bread with cheese and cook under the grill until slightly melted.  Top with the roasted asparagus and the top slice of bread.  Return the toastie to the grill cooking first one side and then flip it over and do the other.  

For the Love of Kale

I know what you are thinking, kale and goat cheese...again.  I never seem to tire of this combination and that means you never get to tire of it either.  This winter I feel like I’ve really become quite obsessed with kale but I’m a picky girl and it is only the cavolo nero type I really like rather than your bog standard curly variety.  That has its place of course but give me the rich dark leaves of cavolo nero and I’m happy to eat it in any number of incarnations.  Raw in salads, in smoothies, stirred into winter stews, with baked potatoes, in frittatas and now here in a toasted sandwich, the ultimate comfort food on a cold day.  Slightly wilted kale with tangy melted goat cheese slapped in the middle of toasted gluten free bread.  The great thing about a toasted sandwich is good bread, good cheese and whatever the heck you want to throw in there with it.  Kale is rich in vitamins and in particular a great source of calcium which is important for us coeliac types.  It also has anti-cancer properties.  If you can’t find kale, chard or spinach would work too.

 

Wash the kale and remove the centre stems.  Roughly chop the leaves and wilt in a skillet for a couple of minutes with a small amount of olive oil.  Once the kale is wilted remove from the skillet and set aside to cool a little.  Assemble your sandwich and cook either under a grill or in a lightly oiled skillet.  I’ve been using the grilling method lately.  I started off with the cheese open to the grill to get it melted a bit before I added the kale and sandwich top.  This also prevents the kale crisping up too much under the grill.

 

 

 



Goats Cheese Toastie

Things I will miss about summer... cheese toasties with fresh tomatoes and avocado.  I’m thinking about a winter version with cheese, onion and kale.  If you are anything like my husband you will pull a face at this suggestion.  In the mean time, fresh tomatoes while we still can...

 

Makes one toasted sandwich.

2 slices gluten free bread, slightly stale is best.

Butter

Hard goat cheese or cheese of your choice, sliced

Tomatoes, thinly sliced

Avocado, thinly sliced

Heat a skillet or frying pan.  Butter the bread and lay one slice, butter side down in the hot pan.  Start to compile your sandwich by adding first the cheese followed by the tomatoes.  Top with the other slice of bread, butter side up.  You could put something heavy like a pan lid on top to help the cheese melt and the sandwich stay together.  Keep on a low heat. When the bottom side is nice and toasted flip the sandwich over and cook the top side.  Once the second side is toasted and the cheese is melted remove to a plate.  Pull apart and add avocado.  Reassemble and eat.

 

Eggvocado Sandwiches!



This is my current sandwich du jour.  A lot like egg mayonnaise but with creamy soft avocado mixed in.  This means you can use a lot less mayo and get extra good stuff from the avocado. It’s a win, win situation.

Makes two sandwiches: 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped, 1 ripe Avocado, pitted, skinned and chopped, 1 - 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise (make sure it’s gluten free), gluten free bread.

Throw the ingredients in to a bowl and get mashing.  Add more mayo to taste if you like.  Slap it between two slices of gluten free bread and devour.