Caprese Panini

Caprese salad is one of my all-time favorite salad- especially when the ingredients used are good quality. Truth be told, I didn't always like caprese salad.  The reason for this is that I hate the taste of raw tomato.  It just tasted weird to me- tangy, juicy, and has a lot of seeds.  Over the years, my taste has started to evolve until I got used to the raw tomato taste.  Now, I do not have a problem eating them-raw or otherwise.



As I mentioned, I do like caprese salad and can probably eat it everyday.  My love for caprese led me to experiment how to incorporate it in another dish besides serving it as an antipasto (starters).  The result is this wonderfully flavored and taste panini.

Caprese salad is nothing more than a combination of sliced tomatoes, sliced mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, salt, salt and pepper.  For this sandwich, I used the classic ingredients for a caprese salad then added a couple of slices of hambon de Paris (Ham of Paris) which I got from Monsieur Marcel's*** at Third and Fairfax, inside the Farmer's market.  For a nontraditional version,I guess you can add balsamic vinegar but I have not tried it so I am not sure how it would taste.

***Note: If you have been following my blog, you would notice that I often mention this store.  The reason for that is because it is a great place to get deli and imported ingredients.



I sliced the ciabatta in half and then brush both sides with EVOO using a pastry brush.  Then I layered thinly sliced tomatoes which I also lightly brushed with EVOO and seasoned with salt and pepper.  I topped that layer with 2 thinly-sliced hambon de Paris (If you cannot find this, you can substitute it with regular ham) then add a layer of mozzarella medallions*** before adding a layer of basil leaves and covering with the other slice of ciabatta.  After that, off to the grill pan or panini maker it goes.

*** I buy pre-sliced fresh mozzarella medallions from WholeFoods but you can just buy them whole and slice them yourself.



Ingredients:

1 Ciabatta, sliced into two

1 thin slices of Hambon de Paris or regular ham

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (less if you prefer)

1 small ripe tomato, sliced thinly

a  few leaves of basil

4-5 fresca mozzarella medallions (fresh mozzarella cheese)

salt and pepper to taste.


1. Slice ciabatta into half.  Lightly brush with EVOO using pastry brush.

2. On one side, place one layer of thinly sliced tomatoes.  Lightly brush with EVOO then season with sea salt and pepper according to taste.

3. Add two slices of hambon de Paris and top with mozzarella cheese.

4. Add a layer of basil leaves then place the other half of the ciabatta. Set aside

5. Heat your cast iron grill pan over medium heat.

6. Add about 1/2 a tsp of olive oil.  Using a non-stick, heat-resistant basting brush, spread the oil all over the grill pan.

7. Position your panini in the middle of the pan.  Place a layer of foil on top of the panini before placing you weight.

***make sure that the weight is stable and provides even weight on the panini.  I used a cast iron pan and then topped that with a cast-iron wok to provide a a heavier weight on the sandwich.

8. Grill each side for about 3-4 minutes or until it is toasted according to your preference.  When one side is done, use a spatula to turn it over and cook the other side using the same procedure.

9. When done, remove from heat and slice into two equal portion. Serve with potato chips, fried, salad or your choice of sides.

Turkey, Spinach, and Pesto Panini

Good morning, World. I went to bed early last night so I woke up bright and early this morning...huh? Did those words come out of my mouth... este, did I really type those words? Hahaha...quite strange coming from a girl who is not always in a good mood in the morning. I am not a morning person but strangely I feel okay this morning...maybe because I got some much needed rest last night after a few days of not sleeping well. I tell you, I slept like a baby with a few dreams here and there but i cannot even remember those dreams when I woke up...strange, huh? 

Anyways, I have some blogging to catch up to so I will start with this entry and maybe back-track posts for the last two or three days and post entries for the dishes I cooked but haven't had time to post...hehehe...was busy with school trying to finish a paper that was due Monday so didn't have time to post...

I had an appointment with my therapist yesterday morning...hand therapist, not psychiatrist...hehehe.... and as usual I usually stop by at several shops before finally making my way home. In the process, I usually end up with tons of stuff by the time I reach home. What can I say? There are just so many temptations along the way. First, I stopped by at Whole Foods and picked up more arugula, ciabatta, and basil as well as well as corn, jam, and mustard. Next off, I went to Monsieur Marcel at the Farmemr's market and picked up prosciutto, and oven-roasted turkey breast from their deli section. Next, I went to World Market and La Surla Table(still at the Farmer's Market) and picked up some glasses, small dishes, and tea towels...Oh, the joy...they are like candy stores for the kitchen....too many pretty and shiny stuff :). Finally, I bought some fresh produce at the Farmer's market which were really great and fresh.

By the time I finally made it home, it was past lunch time. Unfortunately, there was nothing ready to eat at the house A quick rummaging on the cupboard and refrigerator and I found some ingredients I need to make a quick lunch...the result is a turkey, sinach, and pesto panini. I am telling you, I have been hooked on panini lately...hehehe... If you do not have a panini press or panini maker, refer to this post for idea on how to make it... it is easy and tasty

The combination for this pesto sandwich came from sister who told me after she saw the picture of my sweet chili, chicken, and pesto panini which I posted on my facebook account. I was a little skeptical at first because I was not sure how the wilted spinach taste in the panini but this converted me into a huge fan. Everything meshes well together perfectly and you cannot even tell that the spinach is in there which will be a good way to sneak veggies into your children's diet. I think it also helped that the roasted turkey breast from Marcel's taste great even by it itself. I was in panini heaven, so easy to make and tasty...a combination that's hard to come by....hehehe...

Even with the side salad and fruit cup, I was done in less than 20 minutes. I prepared a simple salad of baby spinach, pine nuts, and apple in a simple olive oil-lemon dressing to go with the salad. A fruit cup of mixed, sliced fruit such as apple, blackberries, and strawberries round out the meal. The fruits were part of the produce that I purchased from the farmer's market on Third and Fairfax.

Ingredients:

1 Rustic bread or any crusty bread, sliced in half

Prepared (I used my homemade) pesto

2-3 slices of oven-roasted turkey breast

a handful of baby spinach leaves

grated mozzarella or sliced provolone cheese



1. Spread pesto on both sides of the bread.

2. On one side, add a layer of cheese, then spinach.

3. Add turkey on another layer and top with another layer of cheese.

4. Cover with the other half of the bread and press down. Set aside

5. Heat your cast iron grill pan over medium heat.

6. Add about 1/2 a tsp of olive oil.  Using a non-stick, heat-resistant basting brush, spread the oil all over the grill pan.

7. Position your panini in the middle of the pan.  Place a layer of foil on top of the panini before placing you weight.

***make sure that the weight is stable and provides even weight on the panini.  I used a cast iron pan and then topped that with a cast-iron wok to provide a a heavier weight on the sandwich.

8. Grill each side for about 3-4 minutes or until it is toasted according to your preference.  When one side is done, use a spatula to turn it over and cook the other side using the same procedure.

9. When done, remove from heat and slice into two equal portion. Serve with potato chips, fried, salad or your choice of sides.

Sweet Chili, Chicken, and Pesto Panini

As I mentioned in my previous post, I stopped by at Whole Foods and found really good quality greens.  My finds included really fresh and good quality basil which were sold in huge bunches.  They looked really good that I picked up a couple.  I was planning on making a batch of pesto which is great to have around for quick pasta recipes, sauce for flat breads, and of course, panini... hehehe

The price per bunch is around $1.75 which is a steal considering the same amount of basil cost a little over $3 at Ralph's and Pavilions.  I know because I checked those stores a couple of days ago but didn't get any since their basil didn't look very fresh...they looked like they have been sitting on the chiller for about a week or so.  I do think the prices for fresh spices are outrageously high that sometimes it makes me want to plant my own...Oh, wait... I might end up killing them like I did my other plants...hehehe

Making your own pesto is really easy because it doesn't involve a lot of slicing or dicing.  All you need to do is place all the ingredients in the food processor and let it do all the hard work.  Washing all the small parts of the food processor afterwards though is the problem.  Too many small parts to clean and wash which requires hand washing to remove all the food particle that gets stuck in the nooks and crannies.  Having a homemade pesto though is, in my opinion, better than store-bought ones since you can control the amount of ingredients that you want to include.  I, for one, like a lot of garlic in mine so I usually put a whole garlic head instead of just a few cloves.  Besides, basil and pine nuts, you can practically use any nuts and greens of your choice to make pesto.  Besides the traditional basil/pine nut pesto, I also like arugula and walnut combo.

After making the pesto, I made chicken pesto panini to go with the wild arugula salad.  This is such an easy to make meal and with some shortcuts, they can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.  Panini is nothing more than a grilled sandwich.  No panini maker?  No problem because you can use you stove top cast iron grill pan.  Just make sure that it is well seasoned to avoid the panini from sticking otherwise you will have a mess on your hand.  And believe me, cleaning a cast iron pan with burnt, stuck-on food is no fun.  Besides the grill pan, you also need something to weigh your sandwich down.  My Le Creuset wok's function has been redefined to double as the weight for making panini...hehehe.

Ingredients:

Basil Pesto

2 cups packed fresh basil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

1 head of garlic, peeled (this is just based on my preference but you can use less if you prefer)

1/2 cups pine nuts

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Place garlic, pine nuts, and parmigiano reggiano in the food processor.  Pulse for a few seconds.

2. Add basil and pulse some more until it is slightly chopped.

3. With the food processor still going, add the EVOO in steady stream until blended.  Stop to scrape the sides occassionally and then pulse until well blened.

4. Season with sea salt and pepper according to taste.

Sweet Chili, Chicken, and  Pesto Panini

Ingredients:

skinless, boneless chicken breast, boiled and sliced

1 Cubanelle chili pepper - seeded, cored, and  thinly sliced (or any sweet chili pepper variety)

Basil Pesto

Shredded mozzarella cheese

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

ciabatta breads

olive oil

*** NOTE: you can determine the amount of ingredients to use per panini based on your preference.

1. Slice ciabatta into half.  Spread pesto on each side of the ciabatta.

2. On one side, place one layer of chicken.  Season with sea salt and pepper according to taste.

3. Add a layer of cubanelle chili pepper and top with mozzarella cheese.

4. Place the other halfof the ciabatta on top and set aside.

5. Heat your cast iron grill pan over medium heat.

6. Add about 1/2 a tsp of olive oil.  Using a non-stick, heat-resistant basting brush, spread the oil all over the grill pan.

7. Position your panini in the middle of the pan.  Place a layer of foil on top of the panini before placing you weight. 

***make sure that the weight is stable and provides even weight on the panini.  I used a cast iron pan and then topped that with a cast-iron wok to provide a a heavier weight on the sandwich.

8. Grill each side for about 3-4 minutes or until it is toasted according to your preference.  When one side is done, use a spatula to turn it over and cook the other side using the same procedure.

9. When done, remove from heat and slice into two equal portion. Serve with potato chips, fried, salad or your choice of sides.