Canadian Bacon Grilled Cheese

Canadian bacon is the term used in American English for what other English speakers generally call "back bacon." Canadian bacon is from the lean pork loin on the back of the pig which is cured and usually smoked, making it taste very similar to ham (ham is from hind legs of pigs). American bacon is from the pork belly, with streaks of fat; and indeed, the term "streaky bacon" is used by some.

I often use a sourdough bread of mixed all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, which is what I used when I took the pictures for this article. It is a little "sturdier" than regular sandwich bread, and it comes in loaves in which the slices are a bit longer (that is, taller) than regular sandwich bread.

You can most certainly adjust the amounts shown in the ingredients below, and naturally, the kind and size of the bread slices will determine the amounts needed.

 

Ingredients (per sandwich):

 

1 to 2 slices Canadian bacon (back bacon)

2 to 3 slices Cheddar cheese

2 or 3 pieces of pimento

1 or 2 slices tomato

2 pats of butter (1 for each slice of bread)

2 slices white or wheat bread, or mixed

pickle slices for garnish or to serve on the side

 

First, fry the Canadian bacon over medium heat (you will almost certainly need a little oil or butter to start). It's fine if you brown the Canadian bacon a little too. Remove the Canadian bacon to a plate momentarily and turn the heat to low. Butter one side of each bread slice with a pat of butter. Put one slice of bread, buttered side down, into the same skillet you used to fry the Canadian bacon. Add 2 slices of cheese, 1 or 2 slices of the Canadian bacon, a couple of small pieces of pimento, and 1 or 2 slices of tomato. Keep carefully checking the underside of the bread to see how toasted it is. Add the second slice of bread, buttered side up, to the top of the sandwich and press down with a spatula or turner. When the bottom slice of bread is browned, carefully flip the sandwich over and let that slice of bread toast, which "usually" takes less time. Slice the sandwiches across or diagonally and serve with some pickle slices on the side. A common accompaniment in the U.S. is a cup or bowl of tomato soup.  

 

 

  

 

With cream of tomato soup, a common American pairing ...

WORD HISTORY:
Fund-This word, distantly related to the English word "bottom" (a word from the Germanic roots of English), goes back to Indo European "bhundhm," which meant "base." This gave Latin "fundus" (the "bh" rendered in Latin as 'f'), which meant "bottom, base, foundation," and this gave French, a Latin-based language, "fond," which was borrowed by English in about 1675 with the meaning "a pool of money to be used for some purpose," which, by c. 1700, had expanded to "basic supply of money, often for establishment of business activities," and also later, "a business that manages money." The French spelling with the 'o' was replaced in English with the 'u' following the Latin of 'fundus." The term most certainly still has the "business" meaning, but it has broadened to include personal or family "business matters," as in, "home improvement fund," or "car repair fund," or "vacation fund," or "kids' college fund." The verb was derived from the noun in the 1660s or 1670s (I found conflicting dates), initially with the meaning "to have a supply of money to establish a business or to expand an existing business," but the verb broadened in meaning to, "have a sufficient amount of money to pay for something," and "to provide money to someone or some entity for some purpose;" that is, "to finance someone or something (to fund someone)."

Savory Grilled Fontina Cheese Sandwich

Fontina is a cheese that originated in the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy. Although similar types of cheeses with the name "Fontina" have come to be produced in other countries, including in the U.S., the cheese from Italy is designated as "Fontina val d'Aosta," and it is a protected product that offers consumers the assurance that the cheese is from the designated region of Italy and produced with traditional ingredients and procedures. It is a mild cheese and it melts easily.   

 

Ingredients (per sandwich):

 

2 slices fontina cheese

2 slices bread, not too thick

1 medium garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, for the bread slices and to prepare the garlic and olives

3 to 5 olives (depending upon size), sliced 

1/2 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped (or you can use some crumbled dried rosemary)

 

Heat 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the minced garlic, sliced olives and chopped rosemary and saute for about 30 to 45 seconds (keep shaking the skillet). In another skillet large enough to accommodate the sandwich, heat 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 slices of fontina cheese to one of the slices of bread and place the bread slice right into the hot oil. Move the bread to coat the bottom with the oil. Now spoon the garlic-olive-rosemary mixture onto the cheese and smooth it out. Put another 1/2 teaspoon olive oil onto the other slice of bread and spread it out. When the cheese shows signs of melting, put the other slice of bread in place, press down lightly, and then turn the sandwich over and let the other side brown. Both sides should be nicely browned.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Spleen-This word for one of the organs of the abdominal area goes back to an Indo European form like "splelgh/splengh," which meant "milt/slpeen." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "splḗn," with the same meaning. This was borrowed by Latin as "splen" and was taken by Latin-based Old French as "esplen." English borrowed the word circa 1300, initially as "splene/spleene" and it gradually began to replace the native English word "milt" as the name for the organ, but then "milt" saw a shift in meaning to "male fish reproductive fluid." The spleen was long believed to be the organ of anger and bad temperament; thus, the expression, "vent your spleen;" that is, "erupt in anger, or let out anger about something."