The Hirshon South African Grilled Cheese - Braaibroodjie

Braaibroodjie Image Used Under Creative Commons License From pinterest.com

Citizens, your beloved leader is a known cheese fiend and is a renowned connoisseur of all forms of this noble and ancient food group!

Combine bread, cheese and live fire and you have a match straight from the dawn of human history – and no one does a finer version of this style of grilled cheese than the BBQ masters of South Africa! 🙂

Braaibroodjie translates to “barbecue bread,” and this sandwich stacks slices of cheddar, tomato, onions, and chutney before grilling. The chutney is key: Mrs. Ball’s, an iconic brand in South Africa, is made from dried fruits and vinegar, but any sweet and sour chutney will do.

In Cape Town, summer means braai—the unifying tradition of good, old-fashioned, gather-round-the-fire barbecue.

Traditionally served at the end of the BBQ for good reason, because the temperature of the coals should not be exceedingly hot as the bread toasts rather quickly, so it is best to make your braaibroodjies only after the meat has been cooked. Wood coals always give a better flavor (than charcoal) to the toasting process.

I’ve taken the liberty of adding a sparkle or two of TFD magic to this simple but delicious recipe: I have added a bit of fresh basil to brighten up and complement the tomato flavor, use sweet onion when possible, use an optional 3:1 mixture of the classic Major Grey’s style of chutney with an idiosyncratic but delicious touch of Branston Pickle and add a bit of gruyere with the cheddar.

This is a sandwich that begs to be grilled outdoors, Citizens – I hope you will try this for yourselves! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon South African Grilled Cheese – Braaibroodjie

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Recipes

Ingredients

8 slices white bread
4 tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups grated sharp cheddar (8 ½ oz.) or try 1 ½ cups cheddar mixed with ½ cup gruyere
1 large heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
½ sweet Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, very thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. Major Grey's-style chutney, or another sweet and sour chutney mixed with 1 tbsp. Branston Pickle, whirred together in the food processor until relatively smooth
8 leaves of fresh basil

Instructions

Prepare a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, brush one side of each bread slice with the melted butter.
Lay the bread, buttered side down, on a work surface. Divide the cheese between 4 slices, then top with 1 slice each of tomato and onion; season well with salt and pepper to taste and cover with 2 leaves of basil.
Spread the chutney mix over the remaining slices of bread, then place them chutney side down atop the sandwiches.
Using a grill basket if desired, grill, turning once, until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Serve at once!

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