Panini Recipe

Panini Grills
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With a panini grill, turn that boring sandwich into something special! Find a panini recipe for your tastes, then make a panini sandwich on your Villaware Uno Panini Grill. There's nothing quite like the taste of warm meats and melted cheeses inside the crunchy crust of a hot panini sandwich.

The Villaware Uno ProPress Contact and Panini Grill is stylish and versatile, great for more than just a panini sandwich; this panini grill is also perfect for poultry, steak, and other meats, as well as grilling tasty and healthy vegetables.

Panini Caprese

Servings

Makes 2 panini sandwiches.

Description

A sample panini recipe from Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style, by Viana La Place.

A classic southern Italian salad called caprese combines fresh white mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and basil. Here, the same ingredients bring the feeling of summer in Italy to a panino. An added touch is a sprinkling of aromatic dried oregano, an herb at home in the sun-baked Italian south.*ellipses* I like to grill the inside of the bread lightly, which keeps the panini crisp.

Ingredients

  • 1 large ball fresh mozzarella, about 1/2 pound
  • 2 large rolls, round or baguette-shaped
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium tomatoes, ripe but firm, cored and sliced
  • salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
  • dried Mediterranean oregano, such as Greek oregano
  • 8 basil leaves

Minimum-required Tools

  • panini grill or broiler
  • bread knife
  • clean linens to dry mozzarella

Directions

Cut the mozzarella in slices and place on folded clean tea towels.

Meanwhile, slice the rolls in half horizontally. Place bread cut-side down on a grill or cut-side up under a hot broiler, until lightly toasted. Drizzle both sides of the bread with olive oil.

Arrange tomatoes on bottom halves of rolls. Season with salt and pepper, a sprinkling of oregano, and a drizzle of olive oil. Arrange the mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. Season again with salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil. Top with the whole basil leaves. Cover with the top halves of the rolls.

Fontina "Toast"

Servings

Makes 2 "toasts".

Description

A sample panini recipe from Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style, by Viana La Place.

A "toast" is the Italian version of a grilled cheese sandwich. Besides cheese, there might be some prosciutto, marinated mushrooms, roasted peppers, or artichokes. In this version of the panini recipe, thin slices of fontina are topped with marinated red peppers and mushrooms, then the "toast" is grilled until the cheese melts.

Ingredients

  • 3 — 4 ounces imported Italian fontina, thinly sliced and cut to fit the bread
  • 4 slices white bread (pane in cassetta), made from unbleached flour
  • 8 thin strips of marinated red peppers
  • 8 marinated mushrooms, sliced
  • salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Minimum-required Tools

  • panini grill or broiler
  • bread knife

Directions

Arrange the fontina on 2 slices of bread. Arrange peppers and mushrooms over the cheese. Cover with the remaining 2 slices of bread.

Use a panini grill and cook until the cheese melts and the bread is golden.

Alternatively, place the toasts on a hot, lightly-oiled stovetop grill and weight down with a heavy pan. Cook, turning once, until the cheese melts and both sides of the bread are golden brown and marked by the grill.

Marinated Mushrooms

Servings

Makes 2 cups marinated mushrooms.

Description

A fresh and flavorful ingredient for your panini sandwich, from Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style, by Viana La Place.

Marinated mushrooms are a breeze to make and taste much better than store-bought.*ellipses* Sliced marinated mushrooms add texture and tang to all sorts of sandwich fillings; or mound them in rolls lined with tender lettuce leaves for mushroom panini. A few perched next to a panini sandwich make an attractive accompaniment—juicy little morsels to savor between bites.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound button mushrooms, all about the same size if possible
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and cut into thick slices
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • small pinch hot red pepper flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon)
  • a few black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients: Optional

  • small pinch hot red pepper flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Minimum-required Tools

  • large saute pan
  • medium bowl to refrigerate marinade

Directions

Wipe the mushrooms clean with damp paper towels. Trim stems if necessary. Cut any very large mushrooms in half.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add mushrooms and saute over low heat until just tender. Transfer to a bowl.

Place remaining olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, herbs, black peppercorns, salt, and optional hot red pepper flakes in saute pan. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour over mushrooms in the bowl. Stir in the optional balsamic vinegar. Let mushrooms cool in marinade. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Bring to room temperature before serving. To serve, lift out of marinade with a slotted spoon.