New Series: Real Fast Food

Convenience meals or real fast food in our house doesn’t mean that we have to pick up the telephone and call for take out.

There are a number of “meals”, if that’s what you would like to call them, that we can prepare with little fuss with store cupboard ingredients.

This is the first in a new series on the blog which will feature meals on a budget that you can prepare and eat within 15 minutes or less. When I think of quick lunches and suppers the first I consider is the humble “toastie” or toasted sandwich.  Granted mine are with the assistance of a handy sandwich toaster (a fantastic investment for just €6.99 last year) but they are just as easily made with the help of a dry, non-stick frying pan.

A toasted sandwich with cheese is the kind of meal I would prepare for lunch or tea rather than a late supper. Simply because the cheese can sometimes disagree with you if you eat it too late.  Either way, an apple is the perfect match for cheese in my book, or perhaps a little pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage on the side to cut through the cheese?  Of course a green salad would add to the meal as well.

Whatever the method, the way you prepare these sandwiches is crucial. If you have a crusty bread and are using a sandwich toaster then you will probably need to cut the crusts off so that the toaster shuts firmly and locks.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bread
• Knob of butter, softened
• Cheese of your choice sliced or grated

Method

Preheat your non-stick frying pan or sandwich toaster. Butter the bread on one side only.  Unlike when assembling a regular sandwich, place 1 slice of bread butter side down onto the hot pan/toaster. Cover the bare bread with cheese, taking care to leave a little space to the edges then place the second slice on top, butter side upwards. Close the toaster lid.

If making on a frying pan, flip the sandwich after 3 minutes, or when the bottom part gets golden brown.

Taking just 5 minutes to assemble and cook, this toasted sandwich is probably one of my favourite fast food meals. There is no need to be limited to just cheese either. Other favourite fillings in our house include chicken with stuffing, bolognese sauce, chocolate spread with banana and much more besides.

I could talk for ages on this topic! Click below for a short piece of audio I recorded last year about Glorious Toasted Sandwiches.