Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Arugula Pesto

It's not often that Gavin and I find ourselves at home for lunch on a weekend. We are usually out somewhere together, or  one of us is busy doing something or another. Although I cook most of our dinners, and occasionally a breakfast, for us to enjoy together, I don't often do much for lunch. Lunch is the perfect time to enjoy those leftovers from whatever we have had at recent dinners. But this weekend, with temperatures too cold for the lake and no wedding to plan, we have found ourselves at home with nothing pressing on the agenda. It's a wonderful feeling to have a whole day stretch in front of you, with nothing that absolutely must be done. These moments are few and far between and definitely deserve to be savored.

So in honor of our lazy Saturday afternoon, I decided to see what I could do to put together a lunch worthy of the day. Something warm to compliment the cool fall air but also something that I could make from what I had on hand. With half a container of baby arugula, I decided to make a pesto using the arugula and some walnuts I had left over from some pumpkin muffins I made earlier in the week. I also had some delicious smoked Gouda that I knew would make a simple grilled cheese sandwich taste special. There's something so comforting about grilled cheese sandwiches. The warm, gooey cheese in between crispy toasted bread. It's pretty much the perfect sandwich. And, even though I love a plain grilled cheese with cheddar, it's fun to mix it up and add other ingredients to make it more "gourmet."

This sandwich, with smoked Gouda and arugula pesto, has all the comforting aspects of a great grilled cheese but is just fancy enough to taste special. The arugula pesto would also work well tossed with pasta or spread on pizza, so make extra and use it again for another meal. And if you aren't lucky enough to have a free Saturday afternoon to enjoy lunch with your hubby (or anyone else for that matter), then feel free to make a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, or breakfast, or a snack, whenever really, just as long as you get to enjoy this delicious comfort food.

Arugula Pesto

• 4-5 cups arugula, loosely packed
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Puree arugula, walnuts and Parmesan cheese until they come together and are chopped fine.
Stream in olive oil slowly, incorporating enough to make a thick paste.
Season with salt and pepper.

Grilled Cheese (serves 2)

• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 4 slices of bread, your favorite variety
• 2 tbsp arugula pesto
• 6-8 thin slices of smoked Gouda

Heat olive oil or butter in a saute pan over medium to medium low heat.
Spread 1/2 tablespoon on each slice of bread.
Layer enough cheese to cover one half of each sandwich.
Grill in hot pan till both sides are brown and cheese is melted.
Or you could always use a panini press if you happen to have one.
Eat and enjoy!

For a printable recipe click here

Roasted Beet with Arugula Pesto Sandwich

I made a pizza the other night using similar ingredients from the roasted beet salad I've made many times. I topped the pizza with goat cheese, roasted beets and prosciutto and then served it with an arugula salad dressed simply with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Don't get me wrong, the pizza was very good, but this post is not about that pizza. Instead I wanted to write about what I did with the leftovers since this sandwich puts the pizza to shame. I would usually just toss the arugula and beets together and make a simple salad for lunch. I do enough cooking for dinners that I rarely put much effort into my lunch. But after a good workout at the gym, I felt inspired to do something more exciting for my midday meal. Since I love pesto, and know that it can be made with arugula, I decided to make a pesto to spread on a sandwich with the roasted beets. I wanted to also include the tangy, sweet taste of balsamic vinegar since I love the way it pairs with both beets and the peppery taste of arugula. Instead of just pouring it onto the sandwich and making the bread soggy, however, I chose to saute the beets in the vinegar, infusing them with the balsamic flavor, while also warming up the beets. Between the lightly toasted whole wheat bread, the sweet and tangy beets and the nutty, peppery pesto, this sandwich was pretty spectacular. Because beets take about an hour to roast, I recommend making a few extra for dinner some night when you want to make roast beet salad or use them on top of pizza, and then use the leftovers for this sandwich. Or make dinner a casual affair some night and serve up these sandwiches with a side of potato salad or mixed fruit.

Roasted Beet with Arugula Pesto Sandwich (makes 2)

• 1-2 cups arugula
• 1/3 cup feta (I used a Mediterranean spiced feta)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup roasted beets, sliced into thin wedges
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 4 slices whole wheat bread

In a food processor or blender, combine arugula, feta and pine nuts. Reserve a few arugula leaves to garnish each sandwich. Process to combine ingredients.
Add about 2 tbsp of olive oil and blend till smooth. If too thick, add a bit more oil. Season with a pinch of black pepper.
In a small saute pan, heat a couple drops of olive oil.
Add beets and balsamic; season with salt and pepper and saute until vinegar is absorbed and beets are heated through, about 5 minutes.
Toast the bread; spread with arugula pesto and top with roasted beets; garnish with reserved arugula leaves and serve immediately.

For a printable recipe click here