Grilled Cheese (Smoked Mozzarella and Basil Pesto) *Recipe #2 - Page 106*

I chose this recipe to accompany the tomato soup. It is from the Saute chapter of the book.

The pesto is delicious!! I have never made my own pesto before so easy, fresh and flavorful. I don't have a food processor so I had to get out my blender and it worked great. At first I was going to cop out and buy premade pesto because it was cheaper. I am really glad that I didn't!

I am going to use up my leftover pesto tomorrow and serve it with some pasta. I used two little plastic packs of basil and bought 1/2 cup of pine nuts. The other ingredients were from my pantry. The cost of the pesto is about $8, but very flavorful. Add it to pizza, pasta, sandwiches. It won't go to waste.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 7 on a scale of 1-10. I didn't care for the smoked mozzarella. I would make this again but change the cheese to something else. Maybe fontina? Anyone have any other suggestions? I didn't like the smokiness of the smoked mozzarella. The recipe worked perfectly and if you like smoky cheese, then this is the right recipe for you. For me, this could be a 10+ with the addition of a new cheese.

RECIPE

Basil Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1 cup fresh italian flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

*Blend this all together in a blender or food processor

Grilled Cheese

4 slices white sandwich bread

4 thick cut slices smoked mozzarella

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clover, peeled

*Using a knife spread basil pesto on one side of the bread. Add two slices of smoked mozzarella to each sandwich and saute in butter until golden brown. Rub each side of bread with the peeled garlic clove.

Repeat for additional sandwiches.

Serves 2, but you have enough pesto for about 5-6 sandwiches.

Time: 30 minutes -