A “Whale” of a Grilled Cheese, with Roasted Broccoli, Garlic and Caramelized Onions

To roast the broccoli: Heat oven to 425.

Place florets on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper over pieces.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pieces.

Roast for about 25 minutes, until pieces are soft and have that delicious browning on them.

Remove from oven and drizzle fresh lemon juice and balsamic vinegar.

Set aside.

To roast the garlic: Heat oven to 400.

Take off the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb.

Don’t remove all the skin, just the stuff that comes off easily. The head of garlic should still remain intact.

Slice off the pointy end of the bulb to expose all the cloves.

Place in a small greased ramekin and cover with the olive oil.

Sprinkle just a pinch of salt and cover with aluminum foil.

Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes.

The cloves of garlic will be all nice and soft.

To caramelize the onions: Place a tablespoon of olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onion slices.

Don’t stir too often yet.

Let the pieces brown, without getting burnt.

After about 15 minutes or so, once slices have mostly browned, I like to turn the heat down to low or medium low.

Stir frequently.

I like adding a bit of water or oil every so often to keep the pieces from burning or sticking too much.

After about 40 minutes or so, the onions should have a dark brown, jam-like quality.

To assemble the sandwiches: Place slices of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses on slice of bread.

Place pieces of roasted broccoli on top, followed by some caramelized onions.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Spread clove or two of roasted garlic on the top piece of bread.

Butter both sides of the sandwich and place on greased griddle.

Once one side has turned golden brown, flip and let the other side develop a golden brown color.

Once the sandwich has cooled a bit, use the cookie cutter to cut out the whale-shape.