Harissa and Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Over the weekend I headed to the store to grab a few small items for the garden and I came home with a car brimming with new plants: zucchini and summer squash plants along with a few herbs, flowers (learned my lesson last year- no bees!), and an avocado tree. Yes, an avocado tree (dwarf-perfect for a pot). As a girl born and raised in Illinois, I never thought I would see the day where I would live in place where I could eat fresh avocados, let alone grow them. I am so excited.

If this harissa recipe looks familiar, I used it recently to make this lentil dish. I love being able to create one sauce and use it for different meals. I adjusted the chipotle peppers in this grilled cheese so that the sandwich wasn’t too hot. Also, don’t skimp on the cheese- if you can find taleggio, use it. I think it makes the perfect grilled cheese (it melts extremely well.) However, if you can’t find taleggio, harvarti or fontina would work too.

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Harissa and Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Preparation 10 mins 2017-07-26T00:10:00+00:00 Cook Time 15 mins 2017-07-26T00:15:00+00:00 Serves 2-3     adjust servings

Ingredients

• Harrisa
• 2 clove garlic
• 1 roasted red bell pepper*
• 1 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice from one lime
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• Grilled Cheese
• 4 slices wheat sourdough bread
• Olive oil, for brushing
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 3 ounces Taleggio Cheese

Instructions

1. In a blender or food processor, pulse garlic until minced. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until harissa is well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
2. Preheat grill pan or regular pan over medium-low heat. Brush outsides of bread with olive oil. Place on piece of bread, olive oil side down, in the grill pan and smear on 2 tablespoons of harissa. Layer with sliced avocado and cheese. Smear 1-2 more tablespoon of harissa on remaining piece of bread and place olive oil side up.
3. Cook on each side until crisp and cheese has melted.

by Erin Alderson

Recipe Notes

*To roast a bell pepper, stick under a broiler, rotating occasionally until pepper is soft and charred.