Wouldn’t you know it would be actor/foodie/blog star Stanley Tucci who would come up with what may be the simplest, most elegant, most delicately flavoured, newstalgized Grilled Cheese Sandwich? It takes only three ingredients, and mere moments to prepare…
Stanley Tucci comes from a restaurant family. He chose acting as his career, but his life came full-circle a few years back when he starred in CNN’s Searching for Italy series. Since then, he’s appeared regularly in social media circles as a ‘guest star’ on other folks’ food blogs. Everybody seems to love his clean, simple, ethralling recipes…
The Grilled Cheese lowdown…
Tucci’s latest viral recipe hit is his 3-Ingredient Grilled Cheese. It’s an Italian take on the American classic, that takes less than 10 minutes to make, total.
“This sandwich has earned a permanent spot in my lunch rotation,” says source story contributor Adriana Chavez. “It’s quick, satisfying, and the kind of thing that makes you pause after the first bite. With just a few staples, you can pull off something that tastes way more special than it should.”
Why it’s special
It’s all in the ‘experience’. And that requires the right bread, the right cheese, and… an egg.
Tucci specifies fresh crusty Italian bread – crunchy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. He also – and this is crucial – calls for fresh Mozzarella; the lovely, soft, pliable stuff that comes in a ball. Nothing else will melt the same.
But the real secret, Chavez says, is dipping the sandwich in beaten egg just before frying. It’s a contri-bution from the French Toast tradition – redolent of the famous Croque Monsieur.
And DO fry it in olive oil, as Tucci specifies. That, he and Chavez agree, brings all the constituent flav-ours together in a big, boisterous ‘Italian wedding’.
Change it up…
Chavez says there’s no rule that demands you follow an exact recipe. I endorse her recommendation to use a good, thick later of cheese for the ultimate gooey bite.
She also suggests layering-in grilled or fried eggplant, or tomato and basil to elevate the sammy to the next level.
I can see adding other classic Italian ingredients to this basic sammy. The first that comes to mind is tissue-thin slices of Prosciutto…
B(u)y the book…
Chavez spotlights the 3-Ingredient Grilled Cheese in her review of Tucci’s latest literary offering: The Tucci Cookbook, co-written with Stanley’s restaurateur parents. “It’s the warmest cookbook I’ve read this year,” Chavez dotes. “I fell in love with cooking Italian food through it…”
My take
I agree with Chavez when she says this simple, elegant grilled cheese could be enough to make her set aside the classic ‘American-on-toast’ version for good. But I don’t see me buying a fresh Mozz every time I go grocery shopping – at $13 lb / $2.79 100 g. On the other hand…
On reflection, it’s probably better to reserve Tucci’s treat for occasional indulgences. If I had it every day, it would quickly lose it’s ‘special’ sheen…
~ Maggie J.