Picture this…harissa marinated roasted peppers, thick, creamy hummus and melted feta cheese all oozing and dripping out of warm toasted flatbreads – sounds like some epic holiday foodie memory from a small market stall in somewhere like Turkey or Morocco, right? But no! You can make these awesome Feta, Roasted Pepper and Harissa Toasted Flatbreads yourself, in your own kitchen, in under 10 minutes. Insane, I know – but true!
What do you think of when someone says ‘sandwich toaster’? Student days and cheese toasties? Sliced cheese sandwiched between two slices of cheap and nasty white bread? Yeah me too!
So when Breville contacted me and asked if I would like to try out their latest sandwich press, I was a teensy bit hesitant. I mean don’t get me wrong I still love the occasional cheeky cheap and nasty bread white toastie…buuut I wasn’t sure how that was going to work on my blog…
Turns out sandwich toasters have changed A LOT since my student days…for a start this one looks a whole lot better. I love the sleek design of the Breville 3 Slice DuraCeramic Sandwich Press – it is also a whole lot more flexible. It’s awesome – you can toast almost anything! Sure it will do your standard brown or white bread, but you can also toast paninis, ciabatta, bagels, baguettes, tortillas, flatbreads, brioche – whatever takes your fancy!
And toasties too have moved on a long way since the choice was ‘cheese’ or ‘cheese and ham’ …I was positively drooling reading through the recipe suggestions in the handbook: Steak and Blue Cheese Panini; Halloumi, Avocado and Smoked Salmon Toasted Bagels…and, best of all, Toasted Brioche with Berries and Ice Cream – yes please!
Breville asked me to design my very own toastie to celebrate #BritishSandwichWeek and to highlight the versatility of the Breville 3 Slice DuraCeramic Sandwich Press and I couldn’t wait to get started. I began dreaming up ideas…would I make a Mexican inspired Chicken Fajita toastie? Or maybe an Indian inspired Chicken Tikka Naan toastie…I was tempted by both and I think I will probably have a go at both of them in the near future, but the idea that really got me excited was the idea of a Middle Eastern style Flatbread Toastie…inspired by the flavours of Turkish Flatbreads and Moroccan Tagines, it would have to include hummus, harissa, roasted red peppers, feta, coriander…I got into the kitchen pronto and started experimenting with my new toy!
To make my toasted flatbreads I started by marinating some roasted red peppers (the kind you can buy in a jar…usually from the antipasto section of the supermarket) in a mixture of harissa paste and lemon juice. Next I spread one flatbread thickly with hummus, topped it with a harissa marinated red pepper, crumbled over some feta cheese and sprinkled over a few coriander leaves and then topped it all off with another flatbread…so easy, it takes 5 minutes tops!
While I was preparing my toastie, I had the Breville sandwich press heating up to medium-high (you literally have to switch it on and set the temperature and it starts heating up, when the amber light goes off you know it’s ready). I just popped my flatbread on the hot press, closed the lid and 5 minutes later I had an insanely good Feta, Roasted Pepper and Harissa Toasted Flatbread for my lunch (or rather 2 – these are way too good to stop at 1!) This really is easy peasy cooking at its best!
Possibly even better than the way it makes awesome easy peasy delicious tasting lunches, is the ease with which the Breville 3 Slice DuraCeramic Sandwich Press can be cleaned up afterwards. It is one flat press, so no awkward edges or corners to get into…just a quick wipe with a damp cloth (when it’s cooled down obviously) and you are good to go. I also love the way you can fold it down neatly and store it upright in a cupboard. Believe me, when you only have a small kitchen and a lot of gadgets, this is essential!
Another nifty feature of the Breville 3 Slice DuraCeramic Sandwich Press is that you can set the lid to different heights, depending on the thickness of your toastie. I found setting the lid to 1 was perfect for these Feta, Roasted Pepper and Harissa Toasted Flatbreads, but if you were toasting something much thicker, say a baguette, then number 3 would be perfect!
A couple of quick tips – when you are spreading your filling on the flatbreads, leave a good 1cm border round the edge. When your toastie goes in the sandwich press, the pressing action will squeeze the filling out to the edges. If you don’t leave a border, you will lose a lot of the filling out of the sides! (Though don’t worry if you do, as it is very easy to clean.) And when you place your toastie on the sandwich press, make sure you put it towards the back, as it will slide forwards slightly when you press the lid down.
Finally, If you are having trouble finding flatbreads in the supermarket, use pittas or sandwich thins instead – it will taste just as good!
Feta, Roasted Pepper and Harissa Toasted Flatbreads
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons harissa
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 roasted red pepper from a jar, well drained
- 2 flatbreads
- 1 tablespoon hummus
- 30 g feta cheese crumbled
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
- Salad to serve (optional)
Instructions
- First plug in your Breville Sandwich Press and set the heat to medium high (the 3rd level). Leave the lid closed.
- Next mix the harissa and lemon juice together in a bowl and place in your red pepper, turn to coat evenly.
- Take one flatbread and spread thickly with hummus, leaving a 1cm / ½inch border all the way round (this is to avoid the filling leaking out when the sandwich is pressed).
- Place the harissa coated red pepper on the hummus, sprinkle with feta and coriander and top with the other flatbread.
- Open the lid of the sandwich press and place the sandwich on the hot plate, towards the back. Set the lid to level 1 and close the press. Leave the sandwich in the press for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes carefully remove the sandwich to a board and cut in half.
- Turn the sandwich press off and allow to cool before cleaning.
- Serve your toasted flatbread sandwich just as it is, or with a green salad.
Notes
Want more delicious Middle Eastern inspired recipes? Find more here…
Pin Feta, Roasted Pepper and Harissa Toasted Flatbreads for later
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Disclosure
This is a a collaborative post. To find out more about collaborative posts, please read my Disclosure Page. For more information on Breville and the 3 Slice DuraCeramic Sandwich Press check out the Breville website.
Cliona Keane says
Oh wow Eb! This has actually made my stomach rumble audibly! I’ve been looking for a good sandwich press and this was on my radar already, but I think having read about how easy it is to use I think you’ve sold me! Bring on pay day!
Eb Gargano says
Hahaha – well if I’ve made your stomach rumble that definitely means I’ve done my job well – surely the highest praise? 😀 I would really recommend this sandwich press – it is so easy (peasy) to use and a dream to clean and super flexible…so many possibilities! Eb x
kate says
These look delicious. The sandwich press looks really handy for doing flatbreads as well as sliced bread (as per a normal toastie maker). #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kate 🙂 The sandwich press is amazing! You can do almost anything in it, flatbreads, pittas, baguettes, ciabatta, foccacia, bagels…you name it…and of course it will do normal bread too! And oh my goodness, it is a DREAM to clean!! Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Oh yes they certainly have come on since my days too. wish I had been asked to test one it looks great.
As for the recipe idea another great one from you Eb that makes me want to go and buy a sandwich press as it looks so utterly delicious.
Thank you for sharing on #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
I know – I am loving playing with my sandwich press so much! It has already had a lot of use in a very short space of time…beginning to wonder what we did without it!! Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Oh yes they certainly have come on since my days too. wish I had been asked to test one it looks great.
As for the recipe idea another great one from you Eb that makes me want to go and buy a sandwich press as it looks so utterly delicious.
Thank you for sharing on #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jacqui 🙂 The Breville sandwich press really is a fab bit of kit. So easy to use, and very easy to clean!! I am looking forward to lots more toastie action in the very near future 🙂 Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
What a lovely lunch idea and I want that sandwich press! Tweeted, stumbled, pinned etc.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Monica! It is a great sandwich press – I would definitely recommend it! 😀 Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
The sandwich press is great isn’t it! We love ours. Harissa is such a great addition for toasties! x #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
So fab! Loved your Italian style toastie too. Yep, harissa is great in a toastie – goes so well with the other flavours and just adds that touch of spice!! Eb x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Oh. My. Goodness Eb, this is a world away from the regular cheese toasties we used to get years ago – I think the most exciting thing about them was that they made them into triangles 😉 This sounds fab, and it’s not just the feta cheese (you know i love my feta almost, or perhaps as much as you 😉 ). Great review too, it sounds very grown up to what they used to be.
Angela xx
Eb Gargano says
Haha – isn’t it just? And yes, well – the feta just sort of fell in, you know!! 😉 Eb x
Corina says
This is definitely a step up from my student days toasties too! I have to admit though I still love a ‘traditional’ cheese and ham toastie as well. Even so, I am envious of your sandwich press – I’d love one x
Eb Gargano says
Yes, I do love a traditional toastie too – but this is a very exciting step up! It’s such a lovely addition to my kitchen – and stores away really nicely too, which is useful as I do seem to be accumulating a lot of kit!! 😀 Eb x
Mandy says
Oh wow – this is pretty much my perfect lunch right there! I’ve been dreaming of getting a sandwich press for a while (amongst other gadgets) but as we might be getting our kitchen redone later this year I just need to resist for a bit longer!
Eb Gargano says
Oooh exciting you are getting your kitchen done! We’re just in the process of a mini makeover…we’ve redecorated and had the floors redone…next job is the lights and the cooker hood, then hopefully new cupboard fronts…and my husband, the saint that he is, has just gone round all the grout in the tiles, repainting it white (from a rather grubby looking yellow)…so almost a new kitchen…just need to think of a way to make it bigger now!! But yes, definitely you should get one of these lovely sandwich presses when you do up yours! Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
We love our sandwich press…. It’s not a Breville, but it is a similar design with completely flat irons bottom and top. So much easier to use and clean than the ones from my childhood!
It’s always great to experiment with fillings too. Your middle-Eastern/North African twist sounds great! x
Eb Gargano says
It’s such a good design isn’t it? Ours is getting a lot of use. I am loving experimenting…we tried an Italian style Mozzarella and Prosciutto Panini last weekend which was very good indeed!! Eb x