This is a real deal Man (or woman) V Food sandwich. Yes, lunch should ideally be a light nutritious meal to keep you fuelled till evening, but life’s about balance. So we at Grumpy Panda reckon if you eat healthy 6 days a week you need a pretty hefty dose of indulgence to even out those scales don’t you think?
- Good quality sourdough, thick sliced
- White onion sliced in rings
- Large field mushrooms sliced in strips and marinated in a little soy sauce
- Grumpy Panda Vegan Cheese Sauce (or your favourite cheese substitute)
- Fresh Thyme
- Beef Tomato thick sliced
Don’t be fooled, a good sandwich isn’t fast food. After all this isn’t every day so let’s take our time with it, put the effort in and the result will be incredible. Heat a cast iron skillet or flat top griddle to a medium heat, brush your onions, tomatoes and mushrooms with a little oil and lay them in the skillet with a couple sprigs of thyme. A couple cast iron tips here; don’t play with your food, it will tell you when its ready to turn after a beautiful charred crust has formed, and secondly don’t over crowd your pan, you’re not looking for steamed veg.
Cook the mushrooms and tomato to your liking then set aside, the onion however has to be burnt, trust us. The outer edge will be charred and slightly bitter but inside will be smoky sweet and delicious. Right sandwich time. Brush the outside of your bread with oil and season, spread a good layer of cheese on both pieces of bread, yes both, and start layering your fillings. Mushrooms, burnt onion, tomato and cheese work great together but get creative, throw some pickles, hot sauce, kimchi, anything you like in there. Top your creation and place it in the hot skillet, give it a good squish to make sure you get a nice even crust.
It will only take 2-3 minutes a side for a good crust to form but if you want a warmer sandwich just knock the heat down and leave for a minute or two longer. When its browned nicely take it out and let it rest for a minute before cutting the beast open. Tuck in and enjoy.
GP