Nearly Perfect Panini

I work really early in the morning.  That means my "lunch" time is at 10:30 AM.  Usually I eat the same two things every day for lunch: carrots and hummus, or a vegan BLT.  But I decided to switch things up and make use of our lovely panini maker.  And I learned that there are three important things in any panini: 1) cheese to make everything stick, 2) a sauce or condiment to give it some flavor, and 3) the bread.

Bread is super important. You don't want something too flimsy, but you don't want something that isn't going to work in the panini maker either.  I went with the Burlington-made Klinger's Bread Company Four-Seed Sour Dough that I bought from a local co-op down the street.  Good choice by me.  Next, I spread on some of Giada's sun-dried tomato pesto that I had seen at Target and had always wanted to try.  I thought it might taste good on a panini.  I threw in medium sharp cheddar on both sides of the bread, then stuffed it with sprouts, spinach and avocado.  I didn't use anything on the bread and luckily the pesto soaked through and gave it that crusty, grilled look and feel.

My panini was just delightful!  And it was complemented with a handful of sweet potato chips.  I like to have something crunchy on the side.

I've made paninis before with too many ingredients and they don't press.  So the key is to limit it to only a few things-- like the classic and amazing caprese paninis with tomato, basil, mozzarella.  For the rest of my life, caprese sandwiches will always remind me of touring Europe with all of our belongings on our back and very little money for food.  Many meals consisted of a three-euro sandwich that we would eat in a park or botanical garden.  It was just perfect.