Cheese Sandwiches, Compound Butters
& Crazy Rice- Anarchy Style
From Bear

The newest patch on my cooking vest (below) says: 
Cook of Anarchy! Strange Tastes Good When Done Correctly!
It's about going beyond the cookbooks.

All time favorite cooking quote from my dad:
"What the hell... Why are there flowers in the salad?" 
Below is our "yard salad" with violet leaves & chive blossoms.

Strange tastes good when done correctly?  Oh yes, it does.

This patch on my cooking vest means I am not afraid to experiment. Open the mind and the taste palate will expand. (Sometimes I have to see where NOT to go. Example, Captain Morgan and Mt. Dew soaked chicken... shudder... I just can't seem to forget... ) OK... back on track....

There are many foods that seemed strange to me before I moved to Wisconsin in 1999. I thought I didn't like lamb. Then I read how to cook it correctly and I really enjoy it now. The same can be said for venison, chickpeas, flavored vinegar, barley, brown rice, and even cheesecake. 

Other foods I didn't know about like sunchokes, chocolate covered coffee beans, bulghur, and most herbs are part of my meals now too. (There really is more than salt, pepper. and garlic out there.)

There were lots of vegetables I would not eat and didn't want to try. Some were: asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower (white and green), beets, tomatoes, eggplant, turnips, brussel sprouts, spinach (hot or cold).

To my surprise Theresa has seduced me to the veggie side (some are dark... and leafy) and I now eat them. The latest and most spectacular change of all came in October of 2014, when I ate fungus, aka mushrooms. Yep, brown the fungus with some onions or garlic in a little butter and the damn things taste pretty good. I don't want to think about what's next. Hmmm... what could be next? Never mind....

This page is about experimentin' ...finding something simple, then finding ways to make it better. I was just going to write about simple cheese sandwiches (hot and cold), but that led to compound butters to give more variety to the sandwiches. Then I needed something to eat the sandwiches with and what better side dish than crazy rice? Next it will be total ANARCHY... dogs and cats sleeping together... wait a minute, scratch that last part... Ghost Busters flashback (good movie). 

OK... simple first.

Cheese Sandwiches Cold

I have been eating uncooked, cold cheese sandwiches for years. I prefer to use soft breads like Italian or a nutty wheat. When I run out of hotdogs or brats, the leftover buns do the job too. Put one or more types of cheese together then experiment with the toppings and condiments: different flavored mustards, onions or sautéed garlic, banana peppers, flavored mayo, sprouts and leafy greens, cold meat, etc....

Basically you are making a sub sandwich with more cheese than interesting toppings. See what you can find and what you like.

Subway doesn't have it all. Create a cold masterpiece!

A big man, some cheese, and a plan.

Cheese Sandwiches Hot

In the backyard or the kitchen you heat 'em up. Butter the outside of your bread then assemble your cheese sandwich in between.

Alton Brown heats up two iron pans, puts the sandwiches in the larger pan, then puts the smaller pan on top to brown both sides of the bread at the same time (a do-it-yourself panini press). This is faster than regular toasting (below), but I don't like cleaning the butter off the bottom of the smaller pan. Try it and see what you think.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Backyard)

Grilling Tips:

1. Create two zones, a medium heat and a cold safety zone. If the sandwiches start burning, you can get them off the heat and move them to the cold safety zone. (See my grilled pizza page for more info on this.)
   
2. Have a small water spray bottle handy for flair ups. Butter melting off the bread onto the coals can cause the fire to flair up, which can burn the sandwiches and create bad, oily smoke that can make your sandwiches taste bad. Use the spray bottle to put out the flames.
   
3. For a different flavor, try smoking with hickory or apple wood chips on indirect heat. Add some small wood chips (that have been soaked in water for at least 10 minutes) to the coals in the heat zone, then put your sandwiches in the cold zone where they will be exposed to the smoke, but not exposed to as much heat. Shut the lid and smoke for 5 to 10 minutes. Then brown the sandwiches over direct heat. Warning: when the wood chips start to burn, it  will make your coals hotter, so keep an eye on the sandwiches.
   

Toasted Cheese Sandwiches (Kitchen)

Toasting Tips:

1. On the stove, use a very lightly oiled or dry pan. The butter on the bread should be enough to toast it.
   
2. At medium-low heat it should take 6 to 7 minutes to toast each side and melt the cheese(s). 
   
3. If the bread is toasted but the cheese hasn't melted, you can finish the sandwiches in the oven at 300 degrees F so that the bread doesn't burn. Check every couple minutes until you are satisfied they are done.
   

Sandwiches can be finished in the oven- be sure your pan is oven safe.

Another cooking tip... question... er whatever...
Do you build the sandwich on the fire (indoors or out), which you need to do very quickly, or build it on the cutting board, making a buttery mess, then put the sandwich on the fire? If you are slow or your concentration and observation skills suck, then make the sandwich on a cutting board (then no griping, clean the board when you are done). 

Or, if you think you are good enough young Jedi...

May the Hurakah be with you:

Steak & Cheese Sandwiches Assembled on the Grill:
(with grilled onions, smoked gouda & cheddar cheese)

(If you don't know about Jedis or hurakah see a Star Wars movie and my Shelfchef main page.)

ANARCHY TIME
Time to let your freaky anarchist flag fly! 
(Bear gone wild... uncensored...enjoy.) 

Experimenting with Cook of Anarchy Ingredients:
Cheeses, Toppings, then Breads & Butters

Choosing Cheeses:

Our main ingredient is: cheese or cheese mixes. I have found two local cheese makers I like. I met them at our farmer's markets, where I  look forward to taste testing their free samples. This has led me to buying and experimenting with a wide variety of cheese flavors.

From Farmer Johns' in Dodgeville,  I like: 

• smoked gouda
  
• gouda
  
• garlic herb 
  
• tomato basil
  
• parmesan
  
• colby 
  
• calien (has habonero and jalapeno peppers)

[Find Farmer John's at the Mount Horeb Farmer's Market and the Dane County Farmer's Market on the Capital Square in Madison, WI.]

From Hook's Cheese in Mineral point, I like:

• pesto jack
  
• garlic dill jack cheese
• sharp cheddar (5 & 7 year are the best taste for the money. If you can afford it, and really want sharp cheese, they have 10, 12, and even a small amount of 15 year cheddar.)

[Find Hook's at the Dane County Farmer's Market on the Capital Square in Madison, and at the Mineral Point Farmer's Market.]

Tip: Blending Cheeses

I got this tip from America's Test Kitchen. You can blend a combination of cheeses in a food processor to have them melt better. Some cheeses have more flavor, but they are dry and don't melt well. Other cheeses melt well, but have little flavor. So mix both types together in a food processor. Use around 75% easy melting cheese and 25% dryer cheese to make a creamier cheese with more flavor bits. Or...

If you don't have a food processor, crumble the dryer cheeses into small bits, cut strips of different soft cheeses, and add them in layers with the sandwich toppings. 

TOPPINGS:
 Meats, veggies, herbs, sauces etc.... you are only limited by your imagination

Topping tips:

• Mise-en-plase -- have all toppings and cheeses cut, flavored, and ready before you butter the bread.
• Cook all meats then let them cool before you start the sandwich (unless you are using deli meats or you really like raw meat).
• Leftovers can make good toppings (including meats, roasted root veggies, hummus... take a look in the fridge and see what you can find).
• Try to keep the toppings as dry as possible. If you have wetter toppings, you'll need thicker slices of bread to hold them together.
• For more flavor,  you can soak tomatoes or cooked veggies in a couple tablespoons of flavored vinegar for 10 min., then strain before using them on your sandwich.
• Fresh chopped herbs that taste good with mild cheeses include chives, basil, rosemary, thyme, chilis, and marjoram. I am also betting that homemade curry spice, Chinese 5 spice rub, BBQ rub or sauce, and other spice blends would be good.

Topping Combinations I Have Tried... 
The cutting board is a shelf chef's painting palette:

Italian-ish... 

Ingredients: bacon (cooked and cooled), diced tomato soaked in chive vinegar and strained, chopped basil, 
sliced mozzarella & grated Parmesan cheese.

Mexican-ish... 

Ingredients: dried tomatoes and ancho chilis reconstituted in hot water (for around 20 min.), corn kernels soaked in a couple tblsp. of lime juice (for around 10 min.), chopped banana peppers, and a hot cheese (such as one with jalapenos).

Rustic-ish...

Homemade fry bread, with thick slices of 
smoked gouda and garlic herb cheeses.

Carnivor-ish... 

Grilled onions, grilled steak (rare), sliced cheddar, gouda, smoked gouda, and tomato with veggies cheese.

Earthy-ish...

Mushrooms and onions sautéed in butter, 
with any blend of cheeses you like.

OH CRAP the gang's all here-ish...

A made-to-order cheese sandwich buffet for your guests, with a choice of:  7 types of cheeses, 6 types of heirloom tomatoes, sliced pit beef, caramelized onions, and Asian peanut sauce.

BREADS: Tortillias, grillbread, and naan oh my...

Pick a bread, any bread, for your sandwich...  Hot dog and hamburger buns work. Why waste money by throwing away the usable bread heels? Use them for cheese sandwiches instead. Buy uncut loaves of Italian, country, rye, or whatever, then cut to the thickness you want. Feel like making your own bread? Check out our grilled pizza page for info on how we make our own dough. The grill bread on that page reminds me of the Indian flat bread called naan. Speaking of international, Theresa got me into quesadillas for a quick snack. They are folded tortillas with cheese inside. I'm thinkin' why stop with just one cheese?  

Use the heels? Yes I will.

Homemade dough anyone?

Frys up fine!

Quesidilla Deluxe

Leftover rib meat, chicken, cherry tomatoes, smoked gouda and hot pepper cheese.

Put the filling on one side of the tortilla, then fold it over and cook 
until the cheese is melted, 
while browning both sides of the tortilla.

They're thin on the outside,
but thick with flavor!

ANARCHY MOMENT... WHY STOP WITH JUST BREAD!

I think it will work... let's see what I get for thinkin'

Yep... I used sliced eggplant instead.

EGGPLANT "bread" tips:

• 1/4 inch thick  eggplant slices seems to be good
  for sandwiches.
• Use med- high heat.
• Brown the first side of the slices and use that side for the inside of the sandwiches.
• Egg plant will not be crispy like bread, but it will still work.
  

(Or, if I want crispy next time I will dredge the slices in egg, then flour or cracker crumbs. Using breadcrumbs would 
kinda defeat the purpose. Ya think...)

MMM, mmm, gouda, smoked gouda, and marinated steak.

Cook the steak first while prepping the cheeses (sounds more adult than sayin'
cut the cheese... ha ha.)

Side one of the eggplant, 
browned and ready.

Load up the toppings on the cold side of the grill.

Put back on direct heat, brown, and flip.

Almost ready to eat!

Compound & Flavored Butters

Mixing fresh herbs with melted butter.

By now you know to butter the outside of the sandwiches to help them toast better. Why use plain butter when you have a chance to add another layer of flavor? Americas Test Kitchen suggests mixing Dijon mustard with the butter. I'm thinkin' you can use flavored oils, like toasted sesame oil, instead of butter or...

You can make compound butters. It's easy:

• Warm a stick of butter so it is soft enough to stir.
• Then add three to five tablespoons of herbs and spices. 
  
• Mix well. 
  
• Shape back into a stick by wrapping in plastic wrap and chill. You now have a flavored stick of butter that can be used or frozen for up to three months.
  
• Or, most of the time I just make small amounts of flavored butter by melting the butter completely, stirring in the flavorings, and using it immediately while I'm cooking.

Compound Butters for Popcorn:

My best idea yet is to use compound butters on popcorn. Put butter and flavors in a small bowl and microwave until melted.  

Butter #1:

• 2 to 3 tblsp butter
  
• 1/2 clove garlic
  
• 1 tsp grated onion
  
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
  
• pinch of salt
  

Butter #2:

• 2 to 3 tblsp butter
  
• 1 or 2 tsp BBQ or 57 steak sauce or spaghetti sauce, or salsa or... you get the idea.
  

Butter #3:

• 2 to 3 tblsp butter
  
• 3/4  tblsp brown mustard
  
• 1 to 2 tsp lime juice
  
• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

Butter #4:

• 2 to 3 tblsp butter
  
• 1 to 3 tsp honey or maple syrup 
  

Butter #5:

• 2 to 3 tblsp butter
  
• 1 to 2 tsp bananna pepper or jalepeno pepper juice (use the juice in the jar the peppers came in)
  
• 1 tsp lime juice 

Butter #6:

• If you have bacon grease use that with some butter.
  

Butter #7: Anarchy failure(?)... using homemade Asian peanut sauce with butter was good but I really needed a towel to keep my hands clean while I ate.

Tip: Don't use onion or garlic powder. The powders turn the butter into a paste that doesn't cover the popcorn too well.

Compound Butter on SteaK:

When cooking steaks, a lot of chefs will baste them in butter while they finish cooking to add moisture and flavor. Or they melt a pat of butter on the steak when it's done. When I  do this, I like to add rosemary, thyme, pepper, and garlic to the butter (a combination that is also good on popcorn). In the photos below I'm using fresh thyme and chives:

Picking thyme and chives from our garden.

Putting butter in a small caste iron skillet.

Adding the fresh herbs to the melted butter.

The steaks are almost ready for basting with the herbed butter.

Crazy Rice

If you need a side dish to go with your cheese sandwich, the Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen has many rice side dishes from all over the world. Crazy rice started in Brazil, where the chefs tried to out do each other with ever more elaborate flavorings in their rice.  Sounds like this cook of anarchy can get in on that... and go one or two better. I tried cooking crazy barley in our haybox. (The red cooler we converted in the photo below. See the link to learn how to make and use your own). 

One of my favorite crazy rice concoctions is:

• 1 1/2 cup brown rice or pearled barley
  
• 3 cups liquid for brown rice/ 4.5 cups for pearled barley
  (I use one can of coconut milk and stock for the rest.
  You could also try hard apple cider or other liquids.)
• 1 cup corn (I use the roasted corn we freeze each Summer)
  
• 1 cup frozen peas
  
• 1 cup raisins or craisins
  
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds or both
  
• 1 can water chestnuts
  

If I want this as a main dish instead of a side, I add around one pound of medium rare beef/venison or well-cooked chicken when the rice or barley is done cooking.

THE BOY IS CRAZY... I am outa here!

Last note:   FREE YOU"R MIND AND CREATE NEW TASTE EXPERIENCES