Lunch Time

Panini Sandwich

Wikipedia's description:

A panino (Italian pronunciation: [paˈniːno]) is a sandwich made from a small roll or loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta or a rosetta. The loaf is cut horizontally and filled with salami, ham, cheese, mortadella or other food, and sometimes served hot after having pressed in a grill.

A toasted panino, colloquially called "toast" by Italians, is made out of two vertical slices of pane in cassetta almost invariably filled with prosciutto and a few of slices of processed cheese, grilled in a sandwich press.

It is traditionally served without any kind of sauce or topping, although in some parts of the world it may be customary to do so in order to accommodate local taste.

The word "panino" [pa'ni:no] is Italian (literally meaning small bread roll), with the plural panini. "Panini" is often used in a singular sense by speakers of English and French, as for "salami" (Italian plural for salame), and pluralised solecistically into "paninis".

In Italian, panino refers properly to a bread roll and a "panino imbottito" (literally "stuffed panino") to a sandwich; so a paninoteca is a sandwich bar. In Central Italy, there is a popular version of panino which is filled with porchetta, i.e. slices of roasted pork.

I've enjoyed making these ever since I finally got a panini pan several years ago (that's mine pictured to the right).

Today's lunch menu was my favorite: turkey pesto panini sandwich with french onion sunchips and homemade chocolate brownie squares. (pictured above)

Ingredients:
Sliced Turkey (from the deli)
Sliced Swiss Cheese
Fresh Pesto (from your deli or homemade)
Brown Mustard (optional)
Lettuce & Tomatoes Sliced (optional)
Butter
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Butter outer sides of bread and sprinkle parmesan cheese and pat it down so it will stick to the butter (this is for the outside of the bread that is to be cooked)
Spread pesto on one slice of bread, mustard on the other slice
Pile on turkey and swiss (quantity is up to you)
Add lettuce and tomatoes (optional)
Assemble sandwich with both slices
Heat panini pan to med-hot and cook one side for approximately 2 minutes, then flip and cook the otherside with the lid on pressing the sandwich down for another 2 minutes.

Enjoy!