Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Grilled Cheese

Makes enough to serve 4

Filling Ingredients:
1 lb. Chefs Mix Mushrooms from the Farm Market or mushrooms of your choice – chopped roughly
1 Red Onion – sliced thin
2 Garlic Cloves – minced or pressed
5 Sprigs of Thyme – Thrown in with mushrooms & removed when finished sauteeing
2 tsp Ghee
1 Loaf Damsel & Hopper Bread – I’ll be using Turkey Red Wheat – sliced to your preferred thickness
½ bunch Kale – stems removed and roughly chopped (an optional ingredient and could be replaced by spinach or arugula when in season)
1 lb or wedge of Cheese- I used Acme Farms Reserved Cheddar – grated or sliced thin
Butter for the bread
Salt & Pepper

To make this grilled cheese something really special let’s add a quick black garlic aioli. Please note that this aioli includes raw egg.*

Black Garlic Aioli Ingredients:

2 cloves Black Garlic – mashed with a little water to make a paste (Kari’s recommended method) or minced really fine
1 clove Raw Garlic – minced really fine
5 tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 Egg Yolk
Pinch of Salt & Pepper
½ tsp Apple Cider Vinegar/White Wine Vinegar
Black Garlic Aioli Instructions: First mash or finely dice the black garlic and the raw garlic. Add all ingredients except oil to a bowl and beat with a whisk. Once mixed slowly add the oil to the mixture while continuing to beat. Once it becomes a light color and has a creamy consistency (about 2-3 minutes) it is done. Set aside.

Grilled Cheese Filling & Assembly Instructions: Grate or slice the cheese. Heat a saute pan on medium to medium high heat. Add 1 tsp of ghee, ½ the garlic, the thyme, and mushrooms. Give a quick stir, then let them sit for 3-4 minutes. Stir. Let sit for another 3-4 minutes. Your mushrooms should be a nice golden color. While the mushrooms are cooking slice the bread and butter the outside of each slice.

*Note if your mushrooms are caramelizing too quickly or the pan is smoking turn the heat down closer to medium or just under medium*

Set mushrooms aside and remove thyme sprigs.

Now add 1 tsp of ghee to the hot pan, the rest of the garlic, and the onion. Saute until brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes.

*If making the black garlic aioli, this is when to make it.*  

After the onions have caramelized, set aside with the mushrooms.  Add the kale or other leafy greens and saute until there is no liquid in the pan. Now add the mushrooms and onions and turn off the heat.

Assembly: Pre-heat a skillet at medium heat.

Layer the components on the bread as follows: black garlic aioli, cheese, mushroom mixture, cheese. Then place in the skillet or on a panini press (this is what I used) and brown both sides of the sandwich. About 3 minutes on each side, for the press it will take about 7 minutes each sandwich.

I would serve this alongside either a cream of mushroom soup or vegetables roasted in Camelina oil and tossed with the remaining black garlic aioli. Or just with some apple slices.

Kari’s Tips, Tricks, and Notes

I know this recipe seems labor intensive, and it certainly is, that is, if you do everything at once. My suggestion is to break it up into small chunks either throughout the day or even over the course of a couple days. Black garlic aioli can be made up to 4 days in advance and so can the mushroom mixture.

You can even cool the mushroom mixture and mix it with the grated cheese ahead of time. (I did this and it turned out great!)

Make extra mushroom mixture and freeze it and add it to soups and pastas.

Lastly, when buttering bread use a silicone spatula. It will take 2000 minutes off of your prep time, using a butter knife is slower and it’s harder to get an even spread.

*Consuming raw or undercooked eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.