Deborah introduced you to this week’s ingredient, mushrooms. I love mushrooms, and had to really think about what I wanted to create that was different than what I usually do. I decided that I was going to make a Mushroom, Swiss Cheese, and Truffle Oil Pizza. I stopped at the store on the way home from work to purchase some mushrooms, but I had a hard day at work and by the time I was home I was tired and hungry and I didn’t want to make pizza dough. I had some home-made wheat bread that a friend had given me the day before, and I decided that the same topping that I was going to put on the pizza would be great in a grilled sandwich.
This recipe is pretty loose on the quantities. You can really use as many mushrooms and as much cheese as you’d like. I’ll tell you what I did, but feel free to adapt as you see fit. I have to admit-this is one of the best sandwiches I’ve eaten. At least the best I’ve made.
This week our main ingredient was mushrooms. The complimentary ingredients I used were BUTTER, unsalted, Swiss cheese, OLIVE OIL, and fresh thyme.
GRILLED MUSHROOM, SWISS CHEESE, AND TRUFFLE OIL SANDWICH
Serves 2 (you could probably get 3 or even 4 sandwiches out of the filling)
12 ounces fresh mushrooms (I used a mixture of shitake, cremini, and oyster), thickly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced or grated
Truffle oil
Butter, for cooking in
4 slices sturdy bread, your choice of variety
Place olive oil in large skillet. Heat on med-high. When hot, add mushrooms, shallots, and thyme. You want the mushrooms to sear, so don’t stir at the beginning. Wait until they are browned on one side before you stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms and shallots are tender and browned. (If they start to burn, turn heat down a little.)
Remove to a plate and set aside.
With a paper towel, wipe out the skillet. Turn heat on med to med-high, and place butter in skillet to melt (I used about 2 teaspoons butter.). When butter is melted, place the bread in a single layer in the skillet. Top each slice with 1/4 of the cheese, then place the mushroom mixture on two of the slices. When the bread is beginning to brown, turn down the heat to allow the cheese to melt and the bread to brown. When the bread is nice and brown and the cheese is all melted, drizzle truffle oil over the mushrooms (I used about 2 teaspoons). Place the halves together so you have two sandwiches. Slice in half, place on a place, and serve.
I hope you enjoy these as much as my husband and I did. The topping could also be placed on crostini, pizza, or flatbread.