This has been my go-to self-created recipe for nearly three and a half decades!  So well loved that they were sold at the family restaurant! A grilled cheese sandwich that tastes like pizza? Yes, please! 

One of my earliest cooking memories of cooking anything not Gujarati, is making baked beans on toast, cauliflower cheese, shepherd’s pie, pasta salad, lasagna and these grilled Pizza Sandwiches.

 I grew up with my grandparents’ for a good part of my life so cooking British food was out of the question. My culinary adventures were limited to the local Fish & Chippy next to my school where lunchtimes were spent watching Neighbors at friend Helen’s house with my friend Herv , or a run to M&S for the Ploughman’s and then sitting down at Pizza Hut twice a month, when takeout pizza was a non-existent concept. 

Whenever I returned home to A-Town, I made “Pizza sandwiches,” using canned Kraft cheese, until A-Town began importing cheddar or mozzarella from South Africa and Kenya. 

For Mum and me, this was our go-to meals on a night when we were tuckered out, or actually were blessed with electricity that did not go off and on, even then, we would use the “chamcho” or the gas stove sandwich tool which looks like a camp cooker/ pie iron. 

When I got married and before the kids came along, these were our movie/late night munchies, and now as the old biddies that we are, when it’s just the two of us and kids have their own weekend plans, these are the perfect pairing on a cold winter night with a cup of soup.   

Like most recipes, adapt this to your favorite pizza toppings, sweetcorn? Mushrooms? Olives? Banana peppers? All fair game. And do I need to mention, they are super easy?

Ingredients:

• 8 slices bread (white / brown) or a whole loaf!
• 1 whole green bell pepper cubed (or 1/4 each of red, yellow orange and green)
• 2 medium tomatoes cubed
• 2  jalapeños diced
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp. oregano + a little more
• 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper powder
• 2 cups grated cheddar
• 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese or any cheese you like
• Olive/Avocado oil spray
• 2 tbsp. sliced black olives (optional)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, diced onions, diced bell peppers, all the spices and cheese and give it a good mix.
2. Turn on the sandwich maker.
3. Meanwhile, assemble the sandwiches: lay 4 slices of bread on a board,  lightly spray or butter, and scoop 3 tbsp. or more of the filling and spread it out ( this will depend on how large your slices are).
4. Top with other slices of bread and give it a slight press.
5. Spray the bottom of the sandwich maker with some oil
6. Transfer to the sandwich maker, spray the tops and wait patiently till it is browned and ready!