Making Panini: The Original Fast Food!

Originally published on April 14, 2008

Panini are Italian sandwiches made of rustic, crusty breads and cured meats. Generally they are toasted and have grill marks on them. They supply a gourmet taste and are simple to make. (I want to make a disclaimer from the outset. In no way am I telling you that my Panini recipes below are authentically Italian; however they do use Italian elements and Panini are Italian-style sandwiches. Panini in Italy are served on a bun and filled with Italian cured meats like prosciutto or salami and are served either hot or cold.)

Equipment: You will need a grill pan and press or you can opt for an electric panini maker like the Krups Panini Maker or Cuisinart Griddler. We sell both the electrics and the grill pan kinds. I like the electrics because I am impatient--they cook from both sides at the same time thereby cutting cooking time in half.

I like to use a rustic sourdough bread or simple focaccia for my Panini. They both offer a toasty crunch and flavor, but use whatever bread you like as long as it is not an overly processed bread like Wonder bread. I also use mozzarella cheese instead of the traditional Mortadella cheese.

Panini Florentine
One of my favorites--take two slices of bread, place mozzarella cheese on one slice of bread along with fresh baby spinach. Then add garlic infused oil, salt and black pepper onto the the spinach. On the other side place ham or prosciutto. Put the two sides together, drizzle with olive oil and place the sandwich on the grill where the ham layer is on the bottom. Let gravity pull the melted cheese from the top layer to the ham. The cheese will "glue" both sides of the sandwich together.

Chicken Pesto Panini

Either grill chicken on your panini maker or buy deli sliced chicken breast. Spread basil pesto on one slice of bread and put on the amount of chicken you desire. On the other slice place the cheese. Drizzle both outer sides of the sandwich with olive oil. Place sandwich on the grill pan or maker with the cheese as the uppermost layer in the sandwich. After cooking, open the Panino and add fresh tomato slices and serve.

Grilled Veggie Panini

Grill on a grill pan or in a panini maker, zucchini slices cut into thin ribbons (you can do this easily with a nice peeler), onion and sweet red or yellow peppers (cut into strips). Remove grilled vegetables and then build your sandwich. Spread sun-dried tomato pesto on one slice of bread and then layer your vegetables. Place cheese on the other slice. Drizzle olive oil on the outside of the sandwich and place in the maker. Grill with the cheese layer as the upper layer so it will melt downward.

When you cook the sandwiches it is important to achieve brown grill marks on the outside. We use olive oil to promote browning. Your sandwich should be crispy and crunchy. Now that you see how easy it is, invite your friends over for a panini party. Provide the ingredients, panini maker and wine and you are sure to have a great party. Let your guests build and cook their own!