Recipe: Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Panini
By Vanessa Richins
When I was attending community college, my favorite class was Italian Cooking.
A friend from high school happened to sign up for the same class, and we had many adventures together, whether it was a hand mixer that sparked or accidentally using up all of the good Parmesan.
Since then I’ve been fond of trying as many different Italian foods as possible. The day that a little Italian deli opened near my house. I’ve spent as much as $26/pound for a good imported Italian cheese.
The inspiration for this sandwich comes from my local airport, of all places. While I was waiting for a plane, I decided to grab a sandwich at Granato’s. The result was simple but delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 small ciabatta (an Italian bread often used to make sandwiches)
- 1 tomato (homegrown beefsteak is best)
- 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
Take a knife and cut the ciabatta in half length-wise.
Place a layer of tomato slices across the bread. Follow that with mozzarella slices, then a few basil leaves. Spread the garlic over the sandwich. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
If you are lucky enough to own one, use your panini grill to toast the sandwich until the cheese melts. Otherwise, you could try a griddle, pan, or even the BBQ.
Enjoy!
May 21st, 2009 at 8:27 am
I’m nothing but jealous, Vanessa! I would have loved to take cooking classes in college. Wish mine had offered them!
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:02 am
This sounds delicious. I have found that if you don’t have a panini grill but you do own a Gorge Foreman grill you can use that instead and it works just as good. I will have to try this sandwich soon.