Post by toejam on Sept 12, 2005 1:23:35 GMT -8
A while back, I "invented" a sandwich that I made in a George Foreman grill and served to my wife for dinner one evening, before I had ever even heard of Panini:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panini_%28sandwich%29
Anyway, I went to the store and bought a panini press the other day. It came with a recipe book, and lo and behold, there's "my" sandwich, which is supposed to be a classic. I must have some Italian blood in me to have blindly stumbled upon this recipe:
Baguette rolls
Imported Italian prosciutto
FRESH mozarella, not that grated shit that comes in bags
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (of course!)
Freshly ground black pepper
Whole basil leaves
Cut the rolls in half horizontally. Place the prosciutto on the bottom half (I used 3 slices per sandwich - a little of this stuff goes a long way!). Top the prosciutto with thickly sliced mozarella. Drizzle a little olive oil over top of the cheese, and grind black pepper on top of that.
Finish with basil leaves (I added two per sandwich) and place in the panini grill for 3-5 minutes. Don't char the bread.
One thing I have noticed about fine dining is that it doesn't have to be rocket science. The real secret is to use good, fresh ingredients. This whole meal cost me about 16 bucks (including the pasta salad) - about what you'd expect to find in a restaurant - and is waaay better than any restaurant. (In fact, Mrs. Toe and I went to Carraba's last night. We had some bruschetta as an appetizer and she asked me what I thought of it. I told her mine was better!)
Here's the pasta salad I served with the panini:
1 lb. short pasta (like shells)
4 tbsp EVOO
10 sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced (I like dried tomatoes because the fresh tomatoes we get here are shit)
2 tbsp capers
1 can black olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp frshly chopped parsley
Wedge feta cheese
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and place into a large bowl. Toss with EVOO and set aside.
Soak the tomatoes in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes. Do not discard the water.
Rinse the capers well. If they have been preserved in salt, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, then rinse again.
Combine the tomatoes, olives (I halved the olives but you could chop them as fine as you want, I suppose) capers, garlic, and vinegar in a small bowl.
Stir this mixture into the pasta and toss well. Add 2-3 spoons of the tomato soaking water if the salad seems too dry. Toss with the parsley and crumble some Feta cheese on top.
It's better if you can make this the day before, but if you're in a hurry, let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
I served this with a nice chianti. This would probably make a pretty good lunch, but not on a work day. You have to take the time to enjoy this.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panini_%28sandwich%29
Anyway, I went to the store and bought a panini press the other day. It came with a recipe book, and lo and behold, there's "my" sandwich, which is supposed to be a classic. I must have some Italian blood in me to have blindly stumbled upon this recipe:
Baguette rolls
Imported Italian prosciutto
FRESH mozarella, not that grated shit that comes in bags
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (of course!)
Freshly ground black pepper
Whole basil leaves
Cut the rolls in half horizontally. Place the prosciutto on the bottom half (I used 3 slices per sandwich - a little of this stuff goes a long way!). Top the prosciutto with thickly sliced mozarella. Drizzle a little olive oil over top of the cheese, and grind black pepper on top of that.
Finish with basil leaves (I added two per sandwich) and place in the panini grill for 3-5 minutes. Don't char the bread.
One thing I have noticed about fine dining is that it doesn't have to be rocket science. The real secret is to use good, fresh ingredients. This whole meal cost me about 16 bucks (including the pasta salad) - about what you'd expect to find in a restaurant - and is waaay better than any restaurant. (In fact, Mrs. Toe and I went to Carraba's last night. We had some bruschetta as an appetizer and she asked me what I thought of it. I told her mine was better!)
Here's the pasta salad I served with the panini:
1 lb. short pasta (like shells)
4 tbsp EVOO
10 sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced (I like dried tomatoes because the fresh tomatoes we get here are shit)
2 tbsp capers
1 can black olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp frshly chopped parsley
Wedge feta cheese
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and place into a large bowl. Toss with EVOO and set aside.
Soak the tomatoes in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes. Do not discard the water.
Rinse the capers well. If they have been preserved in salt, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, then rinse again.
Combine the tomatoes, olives (I halved the olives but you could chop them as fine as you want, I suppose) capers, garlic, and vinegar in a small bowl.
Stir this mixture into the pasta and toss well. Add 2-3 spoons of the tomato soaking water if the salad seems too dry. Toss with the parsley and crumble some Feta cheese on top.
It's better if you can make this the day before, but if you're in a hurry, let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
I served this with a nice chianti. This would probably make a pretty good lunch, but not on a work day. You have to take the time to enjoy this.
