My landlord said “Let there be Light.” And there was. And I saw that it was good.
The Meat Shop lady said “Let there be Cheddar.” And there was. And I saw that it was good.
Electricity came to my little two room house this week. I never really realized how much I missed electricity. I made dinner by cellphone flashlight [what? your cellphone doesn’t have a flashlight feature?], watched movies in the dark safely tucked-in under the safe confines of my highly combustible mosquito net, and went to bed early, very early.
The moment that I flicked the switch was a miraculous moment for me. I nearly cried. I ran around (well as much as one can run around a 7X10 foot room) the room squealing “The lights! The lights!” Which was about the same reaction (with a little less squealing and almost no running) that occurred when I discovered that the Meat Shop now stocks cheddar cheese. Oh. My. God. Cheese. And while, yes, it does begin it’s life frozen, beggars can’t be choosers. Especially when you live on the Equator.
After I calmed down somewhat (ha. right. I still run around the room squealing whenever I come home) I decided that two miraculous events in one day called for something wonderful. And what’s more wonderful than grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup? To fully celebrate what I’m now calling “Cheddar and Lights” day I added some wonderfully tart green apple slices with the cheddar and shell noodles to give the soup a little more weight.
Grilled Cheese with Apple and Shells and Tomato Soup
For the soup
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, minced
1 can tomato paste
3/4 litre whole milk
1 cup pasta shells
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t. mustard powder
1/4 t. nutmeg
Parsley to garnish (optional)
1. Boil the pasta with the garlic and shallots until the pasta is cooked. (I like boiling the garlic and onions in with the pasta. The garlic and onions really seem to flavor the pasta as it cooks). Drain.
2. In the same pot, add the tomato paste, whole milk, lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard powder and nutmeg to the pasta, garlic, and onions. Heat until hot.
For the sandwiches
1 medium block of mild Cheddar cheese
1 medium granny smith apple
4 slices of bread of your choice
Butter
1. Grate the cheddar cheese through the largest holes in a box grater.
2. Slice thinly the apple and remove the core.
3. Butter one side of a slice of bread and place butter-side down in a skillet on low to med-low heat. Add a layer of cheddar, a layer of apple and top with a final layer of cheese. Top with another buttered slice of bread (butter side up).
4. Cover skillet to allow the cheese to melt slightly before flipping the sandwich.
5. Remove from the skillet when both sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
The Little Bite 
Light is GOOD! I enjoy your recipes, keep up sharing the experience! You are loved!