Chef, restaurateur and TV cooking judge Tom Colicchio offers “Sunday Morning” viewers a recipe from his latest book, “Why I cook”, which he calls might be the best grilled cheese you’ll ever have. He writes:
“Like many dads, I make a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids. This one started as a way to use the mozzarella from Lombardi’s Love Lane Market, an Italian deli in Mattituck that makes the world’s best fresh mozz. Combined with ” nduja, a peppery spreadable Italian sausage, the grilled cheese essentially becomes a spicy pizza, but the spices of the ‘nduja cut through the richness of the mozzarella. Low and slow heat is important to get a nice crust on the bread and at the same time melt the cheese.”
From “Why I Cook” by Tom Colicchio, courtesy of Artisan
Possibly the best grilled cheese you will ever have
By Tom Colicchio
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
4 thick slices of country bread (see note)
3 ounces of soft ‘nduja
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions:
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a heavy-bottomed frying pan and place over medium heat.
Place the mozzarella slices on 2 pieces of bread. Place the ‘nduja on the other 2 slices of bread.
Add 1 slice of mozzarella bread and 1 slice of ‘nduja bread with open sides to the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Boil for 2 minutes. Cover the pan and cook (still open) for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove the hot melted slices from the pan and immediately turn them into a sandwich. Cut the sandwich in half crosswise.
Wipe the pan clean and repeat the process to make the second sandwich and serve immediately.
Remark:
Any bread will work, but I prefer a loaf without a heavy sourdough flavor.
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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