Indian-Spiced Grilled Cheese with Carrot Chutney & Apricot-Mint Salad

Ingredients

• 4 apricots (Halved, pitted, and thinly sliced)
• 1 head butter lettuce (Chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces)
• 4 carrots (Medium; peeled, trimmed, and coarsely grated)
• 1 small package fresh mint (Leaves picked from stems; roughly chopped, divided between salad and sandwiches)
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (Sliced into thin rounds)
• 8 slices sourdough bread
• water (Amount not specified; for the carrot chutney)
• white wine vinegar (Used in the carrot chutney and salad dressing; amount not specified)
• brown sugar (For the carrot chutney; amount not specified)
• ground cumin (For the carrot chutney; amount not specified)
• garam masala (For the carrot chutney; amount not specified)
• extra virgin olive oil (For the salad dressing and skillet; amount not specified)
• salt (For the carrot chutney and salad dressing; amount not specified)
• black pepper (For the salad dressing; amount not specified)

Steps

1. 1

   Wash and dry the fresh produce.

2. 2

   Peel and trim the carrots, then coarsely grate them. Place the grated carrots in a medium saucepan.

3. 3

   Add water, white wine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, ground cumin, and garam masala to the saucepan with the carrots. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

4. 4

   Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove the chutney from the heat.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, place olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine the dressing.

6. 6

   Halve the apricots lengthwise around the pits. Twist the halves apart, remove and discard the pits, then cut each half into thin slices. Add the sliced apricots to the bowl with the dressing.

7. 7

   Pick the mint leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Roughly chop the leaves. Add half of the chopped mint to the bowl with the dressing and apricots, reserving the remaining mint for the sandwiches.

8. 8

   Slice the mozzarella into thin rounds.

9. 9

   When the carrot chutney is finished, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

10. 10

    While the skillet heats, arrange the bread slices on a flat surface. Layer mozzarella, carrot chutney, and the reserved mint over half of the bread slices. Cover with the remaining bread slices to form sandwiches.

11. 11

    Once the skillet is hot, add olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Working in batches if necessary, place the sandwiches in the skillet and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 2–4 minutes.

12. 12

    Remove the sandwiches to a plate and add more olive oil to the skillet. Return the sandwiches to the skillet with the browned sides facing up. Cook until the other sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted, 2–4 minutes more.

13. 13

    Transfer the finished sandwiches to a cutting board and slice each in half.

14. 14

    Meanwhile, chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Add it to the bowl with the dressing and apricots, then toss to combine the salad.

15. 15

    Divide the salad and sandwiches between plates and serve.

Notes

The structured recipe data does not provide quantities for the water, seasonings, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, or olive oil; use the listed ingredients according to taste and the cooking directions. The recipe also does not specify the amount of water or dressing ingredients.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegetarian
• grilled
• sandwich
• salad
• Indian-inspired
• quick meal
• 35-minute meal