Caprese Panini

Yesterday was the hottest day we have seen all Spring!

It got up to 83 degrees! 

 I LOVE IT! 

On gorgeous Spring days like this, I enjoy inviting friends over for a nice lunch, grab some sweet tea or fresh squeezed Lemonade, and head out to the porch! 

The thing is, you can't really plan for these moments, and you don't want to put everything on hold just to run to the store.  Guess what!  YOU DON'T HAVE TO!  This is a perfect time to utilize that pantry and whip up some Panini's, which is EXACTLY what I did yesterday.  They were delicious! Let me show you how I did it!

Caprese Panini:

*Prep Time:  5 minutes  *Cook Time: 5 minutes  *Difficulty  Easy  *Servings: 4 Panini's

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread
• 2 slices of Prosciutto
• Soft goat's cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• Pesto

Tools:

• Cutting board
• Bread Knife
• Grill Pan or Skillet
• Heavy Skillet or brick covered in foil
• Butter knife

To get started, you will want to put your grill pan or skillet over medium/high heat, and all to get HOT!

Then, you will cut the loaf of ciabatta in half, vertically.

After that, you will cut each half, in half, horizontally.

It should look like this when you are finished.

Ciabatta is a very dense bread, so you will need to pull

a little of the "guts" out. 

Don't throw those away though. 

 They make great bread crumbs

or are perfect in meatballs! 

Next, liberally spread the goat cheese on each side of the bread.

Now the pesto.

After that, you will add your desired amount of sun-dried tomatoes.

Now you can add the prosciutto to one side of the bread.

Time to put the whole thing together!  :) 

You COULD eat this now, BUT...you are going to want to wait...

Trust me! 

It is time to place the Panini, top-side-down, on your

grill pan or in your skillet.

Here comes the fun part!

Take your other skillet, or brick, and place on top!

That's right!  No fancy Panini makers here!

We do it WV style!

Cook for 2-3 minutes and...

FLIP! 

Place the skillet on top and repeat.

Slice each half, in half, on the bias, and ENJOY!

This is the perfect Spring-time lunch or even a nice, light, dinner on those warmer nights!

The great thing about Panini's is that there are no rules!

You can put whatever you like on them and they are simple enough to assemble, your children can make their own!  So ditch the pots and pans tonight, forget about the oven, don't even worry about the grill!  Whip up these great Panini's, head to the porch, and enjoy this beautiful weather together!

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,

~The Kitchen Wife~

Caprese Panini:

*Prep Time:  5 minutes  *Cook Time: 5 minutes  *Difficulty  Easy  *Servings: 4 Panini's

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread
• 2 slices of Prosciutto
• Soft goat's cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• Pesto

Tools:

• Cutting board
• Bread Knife
• Grill Pan or Skillet
• Heavy Skillet or brick covered in foil
• Butter knife

Directions:

1. Heat grill pan or skillet over medium/high heat.
2. Cut the ciabatta in half vertically, then, cut each half, in half, horizontally.
3. Slather each half with goat cheese.
4. Slather each half with pesto.
5. Add your desired amount of sun-dried tomatoes.
6. Add the prosciutto to one side of the bread.
7. Place the top of the bread on the bottom to assemble the sandwich.
8. Place the sandwich top-side-down on the grill pan or skillet.
9. Place the other skillet or foil-covered brick on top of the sandwich.
10. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
11. Remove skillet and flip.
12. Place skillet back on top, and repeat process.
13. Cut each half of the loaf, in half, on the bias.
14. ENJOY!