Almond Arugula and feta pesto sandwiches

Almond, Arugula and Feta Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich


Ingredients:

For the Almond, Arugula and Feta Pesto:

1/2 tablespoon paprika

1 clove garlic

6 ounces almonds, toasted

1/2 cup chopped arugula leaves

6 ounces olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons butter, softened

8 slices hearty artisan bread, 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup fontina cheese

4 ounces almond, arugula and feta pesto

Directions:

For the Almond, Arugula and Feta Pesto:
In a blender or food processor, puree the paprika, garlic, almonds and arugula leaves into a coarse paste. Slowly add half of the olive oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add the remaining oil and the lemon juice. Scrape out the pesto into a bowl and mix in the crumbled Feta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter, turn on the stove to the middle setting and let the pan get hot. Add two tablespoon of butter and cover the bottom of the pan with it. Ideally you want enough butter to soak a little way into the bread. Add the bread , take two slices of bread and add them to the pan. Make sure that they lie flat and get fully covered in butter. Leave them there until they get a nice toasted look on the underside

Add more butter, as you get ready to flip the bread over you will notice that your butter has been soaked up into the bread, so reload, add more. I generally push the bread off to one side and melt the butter on the other side. Flip the first slice of bread. Add the fontina cheese and the pesto and flip the second slice on top of the cheese This is crucial to obtaining an even melt and thorough heating. Keep this configuration until the bottom surface is well-toasted. Flip the whole assembly – Grill the other side of the sandwich. When done remove it from the pan and serve hot.