Spicy Kale and Sweet Onion Grilled Cheese from Chef Josetth Gordon

Chef Josetth and her dad at the 5 Boro PicNYC

Recently, Chef Josetth Gordon competed in the Jarlsberg Grilled Cheese Cook-Off as part of the 5 Boro PicNYC. We caught up with her to get the lowdown on this delicious sandwich, which she paired with a refreshing Cucumber-Ginger Shooter. Find out more about Chef Josetth by following her here:

• twitter.com/josetth
• facebook.com/josetth
• www.josetthg.com

Spicy Kale and Sweet Onion Grilled Cheese

serves 4
1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB butter
1 tsp oil

1 bunch of dino kale, washed, stems removed, sliced thin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

4 oz of jarlsberg cheese, shredded
4 slices of bread

1 TB salted, melted butter

To make the sweet onions:
Heat a fry pan over med-low heat.  Add the onion slices, thyme, sugar, nutmeg, salt, butter and oil.  Cook will stirring for about 30-45 minutes until the onions are tender and browned.  They will no longer be crunchy.  Set aside.

To make the spicy kale:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the kale leaves and blanch for about 1 minute.  Remove the kale and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.  Place the kale in a bowl and add the paprika, olive oil, garlic, salt, and chili flakes.  Mix the ingredients together and set aside.

To make the sandwich:
Lay one slice of bread on a cutting board.  Cover it evenly with 1 oz of cheese.  Add half of the onion and half of the kale mix and spread them over the cheese.  Add another 1 oz of cheese on top of the kale onion mixture.  Cover the filling with another slice of bread.  Brush butter on both sides of the sandwich.  Repeat with the other ingredients for a total of 2 large sandwiches.

Heat a fry pan or flat top grill pan to medium high heat.  Use a spatula to place a sandwich on the hot surface then occasionally press down on the sandwich to get a gold brown crust on the bread.  Flip the sandwich and repeat until cheese is melted and the other side is browned.  Let cool slightly and slice the sandwich diagonally into two halves.  Repeat with other sandwich and serve.

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