Grilled Cheese and Summer Squash Sandwiches
Living in a heavily Greek community while first learning how to grill offered me an early entry into the greatness of halloumi, and then an affordable and reliable source for this salty Cypriot that grills up exceedingly well. I became so enamored with the concept of grilling cheese that I went out and searched for other cheeses that could also be cooked over the fire, and while many were out there, only one other really performed on par with halloumi, and that was a cheese simply labeled "Grilling Cheese" that was common in Latin-centric markets. That cheese doesn't have the same depth of flavor though, so throughout the years I continued to rely primarily on halloumi. I recently returned to that grilling cheese through a recipe I did for tostadas and realized I was missing out—what I had been considering a fault was actually a strength when the cheese more seamlessly melded into the dish instead of taking center stage. And with that, I was hankering to get more recipes with this cheese in the books, and it delivered for me once again in these grilled cheese and summer squash sandwiches.
So the cheese I bought wasn't exactly "Grilling Cheese," but the other similar product made by the Tropical brand called "Queso de Freir," or frying cheese. The two are so close in taste and texture that I really would need to work with them side-by-side to see any difference, and I have not yet done that. I do know though that whichever you pick up, it's easier to work with it in larger pieces, so I took my sixteen ounce rectangular block of cheese, halved into two equal cubes, and then sliced each of those into thirds to create roughly half-inch thick slices that were the same size as the ciabatta rolls they would end up on.
Both the cheese and squash that would be going into these sandwiches have light touches, so I decided to use a mint-based sauce to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the flavor department. This is really just a chimichurri recipe where mint is thrown into the equation, oregano is left out, and lemon juice stands in for the acid. The resulting sauce had a strong, but balanced, mint flavor with a great citrusy brightness that made it its own thing.
Summer squash always plays heavily into my late spring recipes, and this one was developed for a Memorial Day cookout, which brought these early season vegetables to the top of my mind. I was cooking for a large crowd, so I used my mandoline to make quick work of creating quarter-inch slices on a bias—the extra surface area helps with keeping the slices from falling through the grates. I then tossed all the zucchini and yellow squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper before heading out to the grill.
I had a ton of squash, but I was also working with a fresh batch of coals, so the intense heat meant I was able to grill off a large quantity faster than you might expect. That's because it really only took a couple minutes on each slice for the squash to develop some attractive browning and soften nicely. I had to keep a watchful eye to prevent overt burning, and as each piece was finished, I placed it in a bowl until all were done.
The fire was still plenty hot at this point, so I used it next to toast the rolls. I thought chewy ciabatta would taste particular good here, so I went with that and buttered the cut side of each roll before placing them on the grill to toast. I removed the rolls as the butter melted and the edges began to brown so the rolls would have a nice rich and toasty character.
Finally came the cheese, and this time around I wasn't as careful with my grilling technique and not all the slices browned exactly as I was hoping. The cheese will stick to the grates, but once it sears, it should flip all intact with a little help from a spatula. The first couple slices I flipped too soon and I lost the browned exterior, then I over compensated and let the remaining slices cook too long until they were almost blackened, but they did release from the grates with no issue.
Still, the cheese was all soft and chewy and remained a solid block that could easily be transported and placed on top of each roll. Once all the cheese was done, sandwich assembly consisted of adding on slices of the grilled squash, followed by spoonfuls of the mint sauce.
These sandwiches proved to be a perfect spring bite, along with further proof that I need to keep exploring recipes that use "grilling cheese." That cheese provided the main heft and heartiness of the sandwich with a light saltiness and pleasant chew. Its mellow touch meant that the squash slices could be tasted, and they also added a boost of moisture. Most of the flavor did come from the sauce though, and the mint felt really at home in this minimal pairing. I also felt the the ciabatta was an appropriate choice since it too had a light flavor that kept that spring feeling going and let its toasty character be known. As much as I loved these sandwiches, I'm personally attracted to even bigger flavors, so they wouldn't rise to the top of the charts for me, but one of my friends told me it was one of the best sandwiches she's ever had, and that made me feel really great and let me know that these certainly have, and deserve, an adoring audience.
