Making a perfect panini is simple and delicious if you use the right ingredients and cook it correctly. Panini are simply Italian sandwiches. The singular in Italian is “panino” but in English panini will do for referring to one lone sandwich. They are now commonly considered to refer to grilled sandwiches specifically. Any number of fillings – meat, cheese, vegetables and even fruit – will make a delicious combination when pressed and grilled.
Customarily panini are made with a single small loaf of bread such as ciabatta, but slices of a larger rustic bread such as sourdough will work too. You just want bread with a thicker crust and soft doughy interior to hold the ingredients together and absorb the juices as it grills. Focaccia or French bread are other standard choices but there’s no reason not to use rye or pumpernickel, for instance, if it works with your fillings.
You can start with traditional Italian meats and cheeses. Try prosciutto, salami, mortadella, pepperoni or grilled chicken. You can even use a fine Italian tuna from the can. Cheeses to use are mozzarella, provolone, fontina or anything that will melt a little.
Place a slice of cheese against both slices of bread so it’ll melt into the bread and hold all the ingredients together. As you add the meat between the cheese, include vegetable toppings as well. Try arugula, basil, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers or grilled onions. You can try spreading on a pesto or olive tapenade as well.
Vegetarians can easily skip the meat. Use grilled zucchini, eggplant and sundried tomatoes along with the cheese. Try sautéing spinach and mushrooms in olive oil. The standard caprese ingredients of mozzarella, fresh tomato and basil are always delicious.
You don’t have to stick to Italian ingredients. Try turkey with cheddar, bacon and avocado. Even spicy jerk chicken with grilled onions, roasted red peppers and chipotle aioli are great combinations! Or you can make your panini a Reuben, with corned beef accompanied by sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on rye bread.
Crisp fruit like apple or pears mix wonderfully with turkey and cheese. Strawberries go well with brie. Try chicken with raspberry preserves.
Panini are most easily made on a special panini grill. These appliances are increasingly easy to find and are available for a variety of prices. Pre-heat the grill as you prepare your sandwich. Don’t overstuff it with ingredients since you’ll want it to cook through without burning. Brush the outside of the bread with olive oil or butter. Then lower the lid, cooking three to four minutes on each side.
If you don’t have an electric press, you can also buy a specialty pan that has ridges along the bottom and a weight to press the sandwich down from the top. Heat the pan on the stove – it’s ready when a droplet of water sprinkled in sizzles off. Proceed as above with the oil and timing.
A regular frying pan will work as you press down with a spatula. It won’t be as flat, nor have the distinctive grill marks, as a traditional panini but it’s the ingredients and heat that make it the tastiest. You could even try toasting the entire sandwich in your oven or toaster oven in a pinch.
- sandwich and coffee by Elenathewise from Fotolia.com
