Pesto Pickle Magic Toastie
Makes 4 Toasties
Recipe by Annabelle White
In this toastie we “cook“ the bread a little before assembling – you don’t have to do this, but our samplers loved the slight crunchy inside to the toastie – but it is optional.
INGREDIENTS
8 thick slices of white bread
50g butter, softened but not melted
100g each grated cheddar and Comte or Swiss cheese
2-3 Tbsp cream
1/4 cup basil pesto
100g thinly shaved ham or 100g thinly sliced roasted vege e.g. roasted capsicums or grilled courgette
½ cup McClure’s Sweet & Spicy or McClure’s Bread & Butter pickles, well drained
METHOD
Place the bread on a board and spread each side with butter. Turn slices over so the buttered side in down on the board.
Place in sandwich press to lightly cook and get a little colour.
Place back on board.
Combine the cheeses with the cream in a bowl and divide over the four slices of bread. Spoon 1 teaspoon of pesto into the very centre.
Top each with ham or grilled vege and then the well-drained pickles – top with another slice of bread.
Cook in heated sandwich press until cheese is melted and there is good colour on the sandwich.
TOASTIE CHAMP’S TIP: 2020 champion Romeo Dowling Mitchell at Dunedin’s Hungry Hobos took away the title of Best NZ Toastie. Romeo says the best thing to do is to cook your toasted sandwich a little bit longer than you might first think – you want that cheese hot and melted. “Many cooks pull the sandwich off too early” he says so leave it another minute or two, but keep an eye on it.