Melted Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Roasted Pear, Rocket Pesto and Pickles

Melted Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Roasted Pear, Rocket Pesto and Pickles

MAKES: 2 SANDWICHES
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES

Ingredients

For the pickles

  • 50 g red onion, cut into fine slices
  • 50 g pink radishes
  • 50 ml cider vinegar
  • 20 g coconut or cane sugar
  • 10 g salt
  • 1 bay leaf

For the cheese sauce

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 25 g walnuts
  • 30 g rocket
  • 15 g fresh basil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper

For the pesto

  • 1 pear
  • 4 slices bread (sandwich or farmhouse)
  • Vegan margarine
  • 1 handful walnuts

For the sandwich

  • 15 g cornflour
  • 180 ml coconut milk
  • 10 g nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp caper brine
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 pinch salt

To serve

  • 1
    Peel the onion and slice thinly. Wash the radishes and slice thinly. Mix the remaining ingredients in a saucepan with 100 ml of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place the onion and radish slices in an airtight jar, pour the brine and herbs into the jar and leave to cool at room temperature. Close the jar and set aside in the fridge for 24 hours before using.
  • 2
    Mix the cornflour with the coconut milk in a small saucepan. Add the yeast, brine, garlic and onion powders and salt and mix. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. When the sauce has thickened, remove the saucepan from the hob and leave to cool.
  • 3
    Cut the pear into slices. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the pear slices for 2 minutes on each side until tender and slightly golden.
  • 4
    Peel and chop the garlic, then whizz, pulsing all the ingredients for the pesto until smooth but still slightly grainy.
  • 5
    Spread one side of the bread slices with margarine before placing them on a plate, buttered side down. Spread 2 slices of bread with pesto, add the roasted pear, cheese sauce, pickles and chopped walnuts. Close with the remaining 2 slices of bread, buttered side up
  • 6
    Brown the sandwiches in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side.
world vegan

Recipe courtesy of World Vegan by Alice Pagès Grub Street

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