Back in April 2018, I noticed on Instagram that the folks at Kitchen No. 324 were offering a new sandwich, a Broccolini Melt, as part of their spring menu. And I had to have it. The problem was, of course, that the melt was only available during weekday lunch; since I work in Norman, I’d have to wait until a half-day Friday to give it a try.

At the beginning of June, I finally had a free afternoon and met my mom for lunch at Kitchen. I was super excited for this sandwich because I love broccolini, I love gooey cheesy sandwiches, and I thought it was a genius idea to combine the two. 

Thank god the sandwich didn’t disappoint! It was honestly impeccable, super simple, but absolutely packed with flavor. Kitchen made their sandwich with fire-roasted broccolini, gruyere and romesco mayo on a toasted French roll. It tasted like broccoli cheese soup in sandwich form, and I devoured every bite.

I enjoy the challenge of trying to recreate favorite restaurant dishes at home, so that’s what we did last night with the Broccolini Melt. We made ours with rye bread and traditional romesco sauce rather than romesco mayo, and we served it with creamy tomato soup, grilled red onions and grilled halloumi. I wouldn’t say our version tasted just like the sandwich at Kitchen, because obviously we weren’t going for that. However, I do think it was 100% just as good.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of broccolini

• Gruyere cheese, shredded

• Crusty bread, like rye, sourdough or French brad

• 1/2 c. fresh flat leaf parsley

• 2 cloves garlic

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 2 Roma tomatoes

• 6 oz. roasted red peppers (from a jar)

• 1/2 t. salt

• 2 t. olive oil + extra

• 1/2 c. raw sliced almonds

• Red pepper flakes

• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

STEPS

1) Brush the broccolini with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Either roast on a grill or in the oven until slightly charred.

2) Add the parsley, garlic, lemon juice, Roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers, salt, 2 teaspoons olive oil and almonds to a food processor. Season well with freshly cracked black pepper and purée until fairly smooth.

3) When the broccolini is charred, add three or four pieces to each slice of bread. Sprinkle the broccolini with gruyere cheese and place the bread onto a sheet pan. Broil until the cheese just starts to melt.

4) Remove the sheet pan from the broiler and add a couple spoonfuls of romesco sauce. Top with additional cheese.

5) Add the sheet pan back to the broiler and cook until the cheese starts to brown and get crispy. Remove and eat with whatever side dish you’d like. The sandwich goes great with tomato soup!