Panini Press

For my birthday, my parents gave me a panini press! I had been eyeing one for a long time now. My parents have one and it gets used all of the time. When there is a big group at their house, it is easy to get out the sandwich toppings, have people make their own sandwich, and grill. This panini press was on Oprah's Favorite Things this year so I was worried it would be sold out everywhere. Luckily, my mom bought this for me back in November. You can also use this press as a grill for meats, think George Foreman.


Of course, I wanted to use my new gadget immediately. I searched the internet for a simple panini recipe and I found a great one! You can use this recipe and substitute your favorite ingredients. Here it is!


Prosciutto and Fontina Panini


Ingredients

• 1 package of Focaccia (Italian flat-bread) I found this in the bakery at the local grocer
• 8 Slices Prosciutto (in the pre-sliced deli meat section or at the deli)
• Fontina cheese
• Arugula
• Red onion slices, separated into rings
• Balsamic vinegar
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Salt

1. Turn on the press to warm (mine has a "panini" setting)


2. Prep all of your ingredients: slice the bread, cheese and onion

3. Open the bread, place the cheese, meat, arugula and onion. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and top with S&P.

4. Spray the press with cooking spray and place the sandwiches at the lowest point. I learned that I was supposed to do this after the pic!

5. Grill until crisp and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes


6. Slice! I used my new Panini Spatula. The silicone tips are great for the non-stick press and it is also used to support while slicing.

Pic after slicing:

I served with some store-bought soup. Enjoy!