One of many great things about living in NYC is the abundance of farmer’s markets in many different neighborhoods. I discovered a small market two blocks away from my apartment after strolling around the area on one random Sunday. This is now my place to go for fresh seasonable vegetables straight from the source.  The weather finally turned from summer to autumn and nothing is better to welcome the cooler weather than grilled cheese sandwich served with a bowl of hot tomato soup. I saw some vibrant tomatoes, onions, freshly baked country bread and fresh Gouda cheese which inspired me to create my version of a grilled cheese sandwich for a fall day.

Ingredients for 1 Grilled Cheese Sandwich:

2 slices of Gouda cheese or any mild melting cheese

2 thick slices of red tomato

2 thick slices of yellow tomato

1/4 of a red onion thinly sliced

1/2 of a ripe avocado

2 slices of country white bread or any type of dense bread

2 tablespoons of melted butter

a few squirt of sriracha (not pictured)

Directions:

Cut each tomato into thick slices. You will only need 1 to 2 slices of each tomato per sandwich.

Thinly slice 1/4 of a red onion and set aside.

Heat up 1 teaspoon of butter in a small sauce pan.

Add the red onions and stir.  Generously salt and pepper the onions and cook on medium heat until the onions are caramelized.  This step will only takes a few minutes.

Cut an avocado in half.

Cut a few slices into the avocado with the “shell” on.

Using a spoon, scoop out the slices.

Heat a grill on high.  In the meantime, brush the melted butter on both side of each slice of bread.

Toast one side of the bread on the grill.  Once the bread starts to turn golden, flip the bread over and grill the other side.

Top one slice of bread with a slice of Gouda cheese, the tomatoes, the avocado, and the caramelized onion after that.

Add sriracha to your desired heat level for a nice kick.  The spicy and sweet chili will complement the Gouda and the vegetables nicely in this sandwich.

Add a second slice of Gouda cheese and top with a slice of bread.

At this point, use any heavy dish to weigh the sandwich down so that the cheese can melt and bind the sandwich together. Once the bottom of the sandwich turns golden brown, flip the sandwich over.  When that bottom turns golden brown, the sandwich is ready to eat.

Enjoy this delicious grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Author: Chau Hoang