--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw S2 airs weeknights on SBS Food at 7.00pm and 10.30pm, or stream it free on SBS On Demand. Catch the Toasties & Snacks episode Friday 15 April ---
Take bread, add filling, toast 'em together: it can be satisfying even with the simplest of fillings! But if you'd like to get creative (or find some inspiration for using up odds and ends from the fridge), here are some great ideas.
This chunky stack, made by Kirsty Lea on season 2 of The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, takes the toastie from snack to meal. Plan ahead and time will do most of the work for you: the heart of this hearty toastie is juicy briket, cooked in a slow cooker in a rich, tasty sauce.
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Pita pocket meets toastie meets gozleme in this recipe from Warren Mendes, where a large Greek pita gets extra crunchy and delicious from being fried with the cheddar cheese on the outside (yes, you read that correctly: feta and mozarella inside, a layer of crunchy golden cheddar on the outside).
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"It’s a crowd pleaser that’s perfect for breakfasts, lunches and it’s coming with me to my desert island," says Remy Hii of this punchy number. Spiced butter, cheddar, gouda and kimchi come together to create a sensational stack.
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Taking inspiration from the many kinds of sandwiches sold by Mumbai street vendors, these triple-decker, pan-fried toasties fill the bread with chaat masala potato mash, mint sauce, beetroot, cucumber, onion and tomato.
Peanut butter and beef? If you haven't tried it, give it a go in this recipe from Shane Delia. Injeria bread is filled with spiced beef mince (the peanut butter is added to the beef); wombok, carrot and coriander salad; and paneer cheese.
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The classic ham and cheese toastie gets a bit fancy! Use proscuitto or ham, team it up with your favourite melty cheese and then dollop on some homemade pistachio pesto before panfrying with a weight on top to create a crisp golden stack.
This rich toastie from Adrian Richardson is definitive comfort food. Mac 'n' cheese in a hot, buttery toastie is just as luscious as it sounds!
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Toasties don't have to be savoury! This toastie from chocolate queen Kirsten Tibballs gets the full dessert-for-breakfast treatment: custard-soaked bread, fresh banana, oozing melted chocolate, a dusting of icing sugar.
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AND THEN THERE'S THE JAFFLE...
Technically, a toastie has open sides while a jaffle is fully enclosed, but we think the lines are easily (and deliciously) blurred. So here are more 'stuff it, toast it' favourites:
Classic Sichuan street food, dan dan mian, - spicy, salty, sweet and mouth-puckery - makes for the outstanding jaffle filling.
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Got leftover lasagne in the fridge? Then follow the lead of another Cook Up guest, James Viles, and pop it between two slices of bread for a very easy, carby dinner. Love your lasagne leftovers just as they are but like the ideas of all those flavours in a toastie? Follow Viles' recipe for bolongnese sauce and bechamel and combine teh two in his lasagne-inspired jaffle.
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