Panini Party



Vegetarian Paninis


I (Christine) made vegetarian paninis, mostly because I've been on a vegetarian kick lately. I didn't use a specific recipe - just veggies that I like to eat. I roasted red peppers and Asian eggplant in the oven. I chopped up 4-5 cloves of garlic and let them sit in about 1/4 cup of olive oil for an hour or two. To make the paninis, I spread the garlic oil on pugliese country bread, then added sliced peppers and eggplant, handful of baby spinach, and one slice of 2% provolone cheese. Super easy and very colorful.

Roast Beef and Blue Cheese Panini

I (Cindy) made Roast Beef Paninis. I didn't use a recipe for this, it was just deli roast beef, aoli, fontina cheese, blue cheese, grilled onions and spinach on ciabatta bread.

Southwestern Cheese Panini

I (Kim) made my favorite sourdough cheese bread from a bread making class I took a few years ago. I used the following Eating Well recipe for the filling. I decreased the amount of cheese in the filling to 2 ounces because the bread already has plenty of cheese in it.

SOUTHWESTERN CHEESE PANINI
EatingWell July/August 2007

Lots of colorful vegetables and salsa make this cheesy panini prettier than any grilled cheese you've ever seen. The small amount of Cheddar cheese in this sandwich goes a long way because it is shredded and sharp. Serve with a mixed salad and you've got a delightful lunch or light supper. If you happen to have a panini maker, go ahead and skip Step 3 and grill the panini according to the manufacturer's directions.

4 servings
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
4 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup prepared salsa
1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeño pepper, (optional)
8 slices whole-wheat bread
2 teaspoons canola oil

Preparation:
1. Have four 15-ounce cans and a medium skillet (not nonstick) ready by the stove.

2. Combine Cheddar, zucchini, carrot, onion, salsa and jalapeño (if using) in a medium bowl. Divide among 4 slices of bread and top with the remaining bread.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 panini in the pan. Place the medium skillet on top of the panini, then weigh it down with the cans. Cook the panini until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, flip the panini, replace the top skillet and cans, and cook until the second side is golden, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat with another 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining panini.

SOURDOUGH CRUSTY CHEESE BREAD
Source: Katherine Niven

Sponge:
1 cup starter
1 pinch sugar
2 cups cottage cheese (small curd)
1 cup bread flour

Bread:
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon malt syrup (available at Whole Foods, the stuff I have in my refrigerator is years old and made by Eden)
2 eggs
1 pound bread flour
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast (optional)
8 oz cheddar cheese (grated or cut into small cubes)

Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tsp. water or milk
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of sugar

Directions:
1. Mix ingredients for sponge. Let rise in a warm place (75-80 degrees F) for 6-8 hours or until very active and foamy.

2. Add salt, malt syrup, eggs, bread flour and yeast to the sponge, mixing well. Knead for about 10 minutes, then knead in the cheese by hand.

3. Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise to 1-2 hours at room temperature or until double. Place in refrigerator for 8-12 hours.

4. Take out of fridge and let come to room temperature 1-2 hours.

5. Divide dough in half. Round up and put into cellophane-lined basket molds. Cover with cellophane. Let rise 2 hours in warm place or until puffed and approximately double. About 1/2 hour before end of rising, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

6. Gently unmold dough from baskets onto parchment lined sheet pan. Dock bread with an X. Brush with egg wash.

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, spraying the oven with water for the first 3 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 more minutes. Bread is done when it registers 200 degrees on a quick read thermometer.

Chicken, Blue Cheese, Fig Jam, and Arugula Panini

I (Lauren) found this chicken and fig jam panini on the Cooking Light website. This was made using Dani's George Foreman grill, which makes a decent panini press. It felt light and fresh to me

I (Dani) found this Fig and Prosciutto Panini on the Epicurious website. I felt that it needed some vegetables and would recommend adding arugula next time.

Mixed greens salad with grape tomatoes, apples, cucumber, and a balsamic vinaigrette on the side.

Banana Bread & Nutella Panini

I (Rebecca) made Banana Bread and Nutella Panini. I used Cooking Light's Basic Banana Bread recipe, omitting the glaze and adding in about 1/3 cup of cocoa nibs. We spread the banana bread with about 1 Tbsp. of Nutella and then grilled the sandwiches until they had grill marks (hard to see on the dark bread) and the Nutella was oozing. Definitely a dessert worth repeating!