There are few things more satisfying than a properly indulgent toastie – molten cheese oozing from crisp, golden bread, the kind of lunch that requires both hands and a napkin. At The Duke Organic, Britain’s first fully organic pub, they’ve elevated this humble comfort food into something seriously craveable with their kimchi and taleggio toastie, now a local favourite on the new bar menu.
It’s a perfect meeting of opposites: rich, buttery Italian cheese meets the fiery, fermented punch of Korean kimchi. The taleggio melts into gooey ribbons that balance the tang and spice of the kimchi, while a slick of aioli on the outside ensures a satisfying crunch. It’s the kind of bar snack that pairs beautifully with a cold organic beer – or a crisp cider, if you prefer – and proves that good comfort food doesn’t have to be complicated.
Kimchi and taleggio toastie
Ingredients:
2 slices of sourdough bread
1 tbsp organic aioli (or mayonnaise) for coating the bread
3 generous slices (approx 150g) organic taleggio cheese
60g of your preferred kimchi (shop-bought or home-made)
Method:
1. Spread one side of each bread slice with aioli, this will give it a lovely crisp outside when you fry the toastie.
2. Lay your slices of taleggio inside the bread, close up wrap in a small layer of greaseproof paper so it covers the entire sandwich and place between two small baking trays.
3. Put in the oven, 180C for 6-8 minutes.
4. Once the cheese is nicely melted, remove from the oven, remove paper and place in a pre-heated heavy bottomed pan (you can add a new layer of greaseproof paper onto the pan if you’d like to avoid cheese spillage) on a medium heat.
5. Fry on both sides until golden brown and the cheese is bubbling out of the sides.
6. Remove from the pan, open up your toastie and add the kimchi before closing it up again.
7. Slice in two, serve immediately. We serve ours with a lightly dressed salad of seasonal leaves and a splodge of housemade sriracha.
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