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.

Pesto and Breadcrumbs Stuffed Baby Portabello Mushrooms

I love portabello mushroom and I love pesto which makes this dish a perfect combination of the ingredients that I really like. This is part of the Thanksgiving meal which I cooked this year. The recipe is quite simple, fast and easy to make especially since I have ready made pesto which I made earlier this week so basically all I did was mix, stuff, and bake these babies. The pesto that I used is the arugula-walnut pesto (recipe here).

To stuff the portabello mushroom, just remove the stems from the caps and then using a teaspoon, scrape some of the mushroom cap off to create a bigger surface area for the stuffing. By the way, save those portabello stems for another recipe such as soup. Combine all the ingredients for stuffing in a small bowl and spoon on the mushroom caps. Bake for about 5-10 minutes and viola! you're are done.

Ingredients:

10-12 baby portabello mushrooms

Stuffing:

1/2 cup prepared arugula pesto sauce (recipe here)
1//4 cup (+ extra for topping) breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
non-stick spray

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray some non-stick spray to your baking pan or lightly grease the pan using olive oil or just plain vegetable oil
3. Remove stems from portabello caps then using a teaspoon, scrape some of the mushroom cap off to make the opening bigger. Set Aside.
4. In a small bowl, combine pesto, breadcrumbs, and garlic. Mix well.
5. Spoon the stuffing into the mushroom caps, top with parmesan cheese and a little breadcrumbs.
6. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. Transfer to a serving platter and serve warm.

Linguine Fini in Creamy Arugula-Walnut Pesto Sauce with Crispy Prosciutto

I went grocery shopping yesterday, the second time for the week, and bought prosciutto di parma, arugula, walnuts and other basic ingredients. I could not wait to get home as I already have something in mind that I wanted to eat. Went home and started making arugula-walnut pesto which is a variation on the original pesto sauce with the substitution of arugula and walnuts in place of basil and pine nuts. It is a less pricey alternative to the expensive pine nuts and basil (darn, I need to grown my own as these babies are getting pricier each time I shop for them)and pine nuts but taste just as good. Arugula usually has a rich, peppery taste but surprisingly mellows when placed in combination with the other ingredients in pesto sauce.

After I finished making the pesto sauce, I proceeded to making a creamy pesto pasta with crispy prosciutto. Uhhmmm...yummy good. Nothing can beat a crispy piece of pork, right? Prosciutto di parma is a little bit pricey at $20+++ per pound but so worth it. I usually like to wrap it in around melon slices and eat as an appetizer...ahhh, that one taste heavenly...hehehe. Prosciuttio is Italian for ham. Some of the most famous places where prosciutto are made includes Parma and San Daniele. It makes one think what is up with these Italians and food, right? Hahaha, they must have been blessed by the food gods or something. Anyways, the creamy pesto is quite easy to make and didn't take me long to finish the dish.



Ingredients:

Arugula Pesto Sauce:
2 cups fresh arugula leaves, stems removed
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place walnuts andarugula in food processor.
2. Process until it is grinded. Scrape the sides with spatula.
3. Add olive oil in steady stream while continuing to process using a food processor.
4. Add garlic and grated parmigiano reggiano. Blend until well incorporated.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer to a container then set aside

Pasta:

1/2 lb linguine fini

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add salt and oil before adding pasta.
2. Cook according to direction.
3. Save some of the pasta water before draining water from pasta using a colander.
4. Set aside.

Creamy Pesto Sauce with Crispy Prosciutto:

3-4 pieces of prosciutto
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup arugula walnut pesto sauce
2/3 cup heavy cream


1. Heat pan over medium low and add olive oil. Fry prosciutto until crispy then remove from heat and transfer to paper towel lined plate.
2. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of the oil from the same pan where you fried prosciutto.
3. Add pesto sauce and heat gently.
4. When pesto sauce has warmed thoroughly, add cream. Mix well to make sure that pesto is incorporated well into the cream.
5. Simmer for 2 minutes before tossing pasta in. Coat pasta with the sauce.
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
7. Top with crispy prosciutto.

Pesto-stuffed Baked Tomatoes

I have come to love tomatoes. My love affair with tomato was slow to developed though. I really hated the taste when I was younger but have come to love and enjoy its taste over the years. I can even eat it raw with just a slight sprinkling of salt. How's that for a huge change?

This dish is simple enough to make as I have some leftover homemade pesto. It just takes a little time and cooking is a breeze. I think the only hard part in the process is trying to hollow out the tomato cavities without cause much damage. Thankfully,I have these tiniest of spoons (they like 1/4 of a teaspoon in size) which I do not know what they are called nor do I know what their usage is. I think I have twelve of them which came from a set of silverwares that my husband inherited when their old house was demolized. Anyways, the flatware has been sitting in the silverware chest awaiting its use but I am afraid to use them as I have the tendency to lose silverwares. Don't ask me how but I have gone through several sets in the past and always end up losing most of them that I finally gave up buying expensive brands and just go with the cheapest that I could find...hehehe.

Anyways, I hallowed out the tomato cavities then stuffed it with pesto,breadcrumbs, and garlic mixture then topped with grated parmigiano reggiano. Popped it in the oven for 15-20 minute or until the top brown a bit then serve. The result is a really tasty appetizer which I could probably turn into a meal by eating several...hehehe.


adapted from here

Ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes, washed and dried them tops sliced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup homemade pesto (recipe here)
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, pesto sauce, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste then set aside.
3. Stuff hollowed out tomatoes with the filling mixture.
4. Top with grated parmesan cheese then drizzle olive oil on top
5. Place on oven safe pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until top turns light golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and serve warm.NOTE: be careful when removing from the oven as it will be very hot.

Penne Rigate with Fresh Tomatoes,Salmon, and Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano in Homemade Pesto Sauce

Whew this has been a busy morning for me... hahaha...and all because of this dish. I made some pesto sauce prior to cooking this one and it was delish which, in turn, made this dish taste really good. The only thing that I had to cook was that pasta because I baked the salmon a couple of nights ago. As with the inngredients for making the pesto sauce, you also need to choose ripe, fresh, juicy, and succulent tomatoes for this dish. The salmon was cold since I left it in the refrigerator so I warmed it in the toaster oven set on bake and at a low temperature of 300F over 10 minutes. I did this while I was cooking the pasta. I think it took me around 30 minutes to make this dish and that includes the time spent for making the pesto sauce.



Tip on shaved parmigiano reggiano : use a vegetable peeler to do this.

Ingredients:
1/2 to 1 cup of homemade pesto sauce, recipe here (you can useas much or as little as you want as long as all of the ingredients are coated with it)
baked salmon, flaked (recipe here)
8 oz. Penne Rigate
1 to 2 tomato, diced coarsely
shaved parmigiano reggiano.
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to direction. Pour water out when cooked and drain on a strainer.
2. Transfer pasta to a bowl. Add tomatoes and baked salmon. Mix well.
3. Seasonwith salt and pepper according to taste.
4. Top with shaved parmigiano reggiano.
%. Serve warm.

Pesto Sauce

Pesto sauce is one of the easiest and fastest sauce that you can make because it does not require any cooking. It is also one sauce where you have to make sure everything is fresh because it will really come through for you. This simple yet tasty sauce includes parmigiano reggiano, basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and garlic which are mixed and blended in a food processor. Alternatively, you can use mortar and pestle using a circular motion to grind the ingredients together BUT who has the time or energy to do that? Hahaha... Certainly not I. The only drawback with using a food processor is that you have so many parts to clean afterwards but I will take that anytime of the day than to grind the ingredients manually. Speacking of food processors, I just realized as I was taking one out to use for this dish, that I have not 1 or 2 but 4 different food processors which came in different sizes. Aigoo...what was I thinking when I purchased these babies?...hahaha... Anyways,I used a small processor for thsi dish since I wasn't making a huge batch.

You have to get a block of parmigiano reggiao, not the pre-shredded version because it better in my opinion. Also, you can use walnuts if you do not have pine nuts. although they are a little pricey, I prefer pine nuts over walnuts though. Make sure that you wash and drain your basil before grinding. I used my salad spinner to get rid of the fluid from the basil.


Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, stems removed
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste




1. Place basil and pine nuts in food processor.


2. Process until it is grinded. Scrape the sides with spatula.


3. Add olive oil in steady stream while continuing to process using a food processor.
4. Add garlic and grated parmigiano reggiano. Blend until well incorporated.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.