It's been chilly around here lately. Chilly in my area is low 60s. ;) I was looking at some mushrooms in the my fridge the other day thinking I needed to use them up before they went bad and some comfort food sounded good. They turned into a fabulous grilled cheese.
I started with some butter in a pan, about 2 tablespoons. Once it was melted I added in the mushrooms (sliced) and some sliced onions. I sauteed them until soft and starting to caramelize. Then I tossed in a few pieces of pastrami lunch meat just until it was heated. I didn't want to put cold pastrami on the sandwich for fear it would prevent adequate meltage of the cheese.
Once the pastrami was warm I pulled the mushrooms, onion, and pastrami out and put the bread in. Yep, same pan equals same flavor on the crispy outside of this magnificence.
I have a process for my grilled cheese. It may not be the right way, but it's my way. I put the bread in with butter. In this case I just put the bread in because there was already residual butter with the a fore mentioned mushroom/onion/pastrami flavors. While it's sitting there I butter the other side. Once one side of one piece is barely toasted I flip it over and put the cheese on, right onto that warm toasty side. Then other toppings commence, in this case the mushrooms, onions, and pastrami. Once the first side of the other slice is well and toasted I put it, toasted side down, on the toppings. Then when the second side of the first slice is properly golden, I flip it til done. This way the cheese has time to melt and the bread has time to get perfect without getting burned.
Of course the best part was eating it. Creamy rich mushrooms and onions all steak house style paired with gooey American cheese, salty pastrami and golden toasted nutty wheat bread. I think I literally sighed when I sat down with this and took a bite.
