When you have good quality, fresh ingredients to hand, a recipe never needs to be overly complicated. A simple toastie with a plain green salad is instantly elevated by the quality of ingredients used. To start with, real bread, fresh and thickly cut. A good-quality Irish cheese, and while we wait for Irish tomatoes to return into season, some flavoursome sun-dried tomatoes can be used in their place. Plus a drizzle of a nice extra virgin olive oil is all that is needed for this sandwich to taste delicious. Irish, organic lettuce benefits from the quality of soil it is grown in, and this shines through in its flavour. A simple dressing with the addition of some nuts for extra flavour and a little crunch serves perfectly alongside the toastie.
When preparing a green salad in advance after washing the lettuce leaves it’s important to fully dry them. The best way to do this is with a salad spinner. Then add the dried leaves to a large salad bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or kitchen paper, and refrigerate until ready to use. To avoid the salad becoming soggy, only add a small amount of the dressing and toss through the leaves just before serving.
Enjoy!
Nessa x
Cheese & Tomato Toastie with a Nutty Green Salad
Ingredients
For the toastie
2 thick slices sourdough bread- Extra virgin olive oil
30g strong cheddar cheese - 20g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
For the salad
- Head of good quality lettuce
For the dressing
- 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- Juice ½ lemon
- 25g pine nuts
Method
- Wash the salad leaves and dry well using a salad spinner. If the leaves are large, tear into smaller pieces. Add the dried leaves to a large bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or kitchen paper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Drizzle one side of each slice of bread with a little olive oil. Take one slice, olive oil side down, and layer on the cheese and tomato, and top with the other slice of bread, olive oil side up.
- Place the pan over a medium heat on a hob and add the toastie. Press down gently using a clean saucepan lid. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Once the toastie is golden and crisp, and the cheese has melted, take from the pan, and cut in half.
- Enjoy straight away alongside the green salad, drizzled with the nutty dressing.
