10-min Recipe: Grilled Basil, Tomato, Mozzarella Sandwich

I am not very fond of cold sandwiches because I think hot or grilled sandwiches are just so much better.

When I was in Italy last year, besides pasta and pizza, I fell in love with fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese - apparently made from buffalo's milk rather than cow's.  I was impressed that the AutoGrill chain off of the A1 highway was selling these really yummy grill-to-order sandwiches...buffalo mozzarella with prosciutto was my favorite.  If only the US would have chains like these!

If you buy fresh mozzarella cheese, they are so good as a snack or as an appetizer when served with thinly sliced prosciutto (another newly found love in the food department for me!).  Let me digress for a second about prosciutto...If you don't like prosciutto, chances are you haven't had good prosciutto because there is a large number of counterfeiters out there :-)  My favorite brands are Prosciutto "di San Daniele" and "di Parma", which apparently are the areas that make really good prosciutto per wiki.

The recipe below is borrowed from the hostess of one of my bookclubs.  I also love the basil taste.  Add prosciutto or salami if you want some meat.  This dish is definitely great for any big get-together because it is simple and quick.  

Grilled Basil, Tomato, Mozzarella Sandwich Recipe   

Pictures:  On the left is the pre-grilled sandwich and on the right is the post-grilled version.

Ingredients: Serves 1

2 large slices of light/airy Italian or French white bread
2 basil leaves
1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball, cut in round slices
1 tomato, cut in round slices
1 garlic clove (crushed and diced) or garlic powder (powder might taste better but I haven't tried it).
2-3 teaspoons of olive oil
Salt to taste


Preparation:

1. If using fresh garlic, combine the garlic with 1 tsp of olive oil and brush one side of the bread with the oil+garlic mixture.  Brush the other side of the bread with some of the olive oil.  If using garlic powder, brush both sides of the bread and then sprinkle the garlic powder on one of the sides. 
2. Assemble your sandwich by placing 2 slices of mozzarella cheese, 2 slices of tomatoes, and then then the basil leaves on the garlic side of one of the pieces of bread.  If you are using fresh garlic, you may want to sprinkle some salt to suit your taste.  Note that some garlic powder already has salt if you are using the powder form.  Put the other piece of bread on top.  
3. Add some olive oil on a pan and turn the heat to medium or medium high.  Place the assembled sandwich on the pan.  I find that putting something heavy on the sandwich (like a bowl) will help melt the filling.  
4. Flip the sandwich after 1-2 minutes or until it starts having that golden brown grilled look.
5. Serve while still warm and with a mixed salad if you need to meet your veggie quotient.  Enjoy!