Chef, restaurateur and TV food judge Tom Colicchio offers “Sunday Morning” viewers a recipe from his latest book, “Why I cook” what he calls probably the best grilled cheese you’ll ever eat. He writes:
“Like many other dads, I make a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids. This one started as a way to use up mozzarella from Lombardi’s Love Lane Market, an Italian grocery store in Mattituck that makes the best mozz fresh in the world. Paired with ‘nduja, a peppery Italian sausage spread, the grilled cheese essentially becomes a spicy pizza. It’s decadent, for sure, but the spiciness of the ‘nduja cuts through the richness. ‘nduja. As always, but here especially, low and slow heat is important to develop a nice crust on the bread, while melting the cheese.
Excerpt from “Why I Cook” by Tom Colicchio, courtesy of Artisan
Maybe the best grilled cheese you’ll ever eat
By Tom Colicchio
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
4 thick slices of peasant bread (see Note)
3 ounces sweet ‘nduja
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions:
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a heavy skillet and heat over medium-low heat.
Arrange the mozzarella slices on 2 pieces of bread. Superimpose the ‘nduja on the other 2 slices of bread.
Add 1 slice of mozzarella bread and 1 slice of ‘nduja bread open sided to the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Cover the pan and cook (side still open) for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the hot melted slices from the pan and immediately flip them together to make a sandwich. Cut the sandwich in half crosswise.
Wipe out the pan and repeat the process to make the second sandwich and serve immediately.
Note:
Any bread will do, but I prefer one without a strong sourdough flavor.
Excerpt from “Why I Cook” by Tom Colicchio. Copyright © 2024 by Tom Colicchio. Reprinted with permission from Artisan, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. All rights reserved.
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