The Don Quixote as served at The Grilled Cheese Bistro in Norfolk, Virginia as seen on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode 2704.
Recipe courtesy of The Grilled Cheese Bistro

Don Quixote Grilled Cheese

Getting reviews...
  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 30 min
  • Active: 30 min
  • Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients

Vegetables:

Don Quixote Grilled Cheese:

Olive Tapenade:

Directions

  1. For the vegetables: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a saute pan. Smash the garlic with the palm of your hand on a cutting board and add it to the pan. (Adding the garlic to the olive oil provides great flavor.) Add the mushrooms and 3 pinches each salt and pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Keep in mind that the mushrooms will continue to cook in the sandwich on the flattop. No one likes mushy mushrooms. Remove the garlic if desired. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Add the onions and 3 pinches each salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute.
  2. For the Don Quixote grilled cheese: Preheat a flattop to 350 degrees F.
  3. Spread the Olive Tapenade on one slice of bread. Add 2 ounces of the fontina to each slice of bread. Add a quarter each of the mushrooms and onions. Add a large pinch of red peppers and close the sandwich. Ladle some clarified butter onto the flattop and add the sandwich. Cook, flipping halfway through, until the bread is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted. Cut the Don Quixote; now it's ready to eat!

Olive Tapenade:

  1. Add the olives, capers, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add a little more lemon juice or olive oil if desired.

Cook’s Note

We no longer use anchovies in the tapenade to keep it as a popular vegan or vegetarian option.