Lunch Basics: Fefu and Her Grilled Cheese

Nothing says comfort food, especially when one has the sniffles or the homesick blues, like a bowl of tomato soup and triangles of grilled cheese sandwich. Certainly now 'tis the season: the holiday season, the flu season. Making a grilled cheese sandwich is an incredibly fast way to eat a hot meal without leaving the house. As for the soup, I make my own and stick it in the fridge or freezer; I like to know what's in my soup. (Here's one of my tomato soup recipes. Another really good soup for when you're sick is onion soup; onion has a natural antiviral property.)

This photo shows what my wife says I make best: a mess.

All you need for a classic grilled cheese sandwich is some butter, some cheese, some bread, and a pan. Good additions include sliced tomato and bacon (pre-cooked).

A Classic Grilled Cheese

Put a pat of butter in a cold pan. Place a slice of bread on top of that. (White bread is classic, but feel free to experiment with others.) Place 1 oz. of sliced or shredded cheese on top of that. (I strongly dislike American processed cheese product. Cheddar, muenster, jack, provolone, and mozzarella all work well. You can get sliced cheese from your local deli counter.) Place any other additions in between or amongst the cheese. Place another slice of bread on top of that. Place another pat of butter on top of that. Put the heat on to medium and cook until the cheese melts or the bottom looks brown and delicious, a few minutes. Flip carefully and cook the other side until brown and delicious, 1-2 minutes. Slice into triangles and serve with your favorite soup or tomato sauce.


You probably don't need to use butter if you have a non-stick pan, but the bread won't get that nice, golden-brown color, nor that crispness. Cooking spray and oil work all right, but, again, you won't get the same effect.

Grilled cheese cut into the requisite triangles.

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Title inspiration: Fefu and Her Friends, an environmental play (that is, one where the scenes are played in various locations at once and the audience moves around) by Maria Irene Fornes. Premiered at the Relativity Media Lab on 5 May 1977, produced by the New York Theatre Strategy, directed by the playwright.