Kids Dish

So far this is shaping up to be the panini summer. Rather than slave over a hot stove I’ve been using my Griddler to make delicious sandwiches without heating up the entire kitchen. I’ll be honest and admit that I can’t just throw a bunch of stuff on bread and let the panini do the work. I prefer my onions caramelized and my greens sautéed so I do a bit of prep work beforehand. But the prep is worth the effort, and caramelizing several onions and sautéing a bunch of greens all at once can leave you with enough for two days worth of sandwiches.

Making a panini (the word panini is pretty much Italian for sandwich) is simple enough. Build a sandwich with your favorite ingredients, brush both sides with butter or olive oil, and grill it until it heats through. If you have a griddler, panini press, sandwich maker or George Forman grill, use that. If you have none of the above, grill it like you’d make a grilled cheese but if the sandwich has a lot of ingredients, weigh down the top slice of bread with a heavy pan so the sandwich heats evenly.

To make a good panini you’ll need a good loaf of ciabatta, focaccia, French or Italian bread to stand up to the ingredients, especially if you’re using sautéed greens or caramelized onions. Paninis are a good vehicle to use up leftovers from the grill. Think flank steak, chicken, peppers, zucchini, or even leftover hot dogs and hamburgers to start. If you don’t have leftovers, lunchmeat will do just fine. If you don’t eat meat (or your kids won’t) try cheese, fruit, and condiments to make a quick healthy dinner- nutella and banana sandwiches are always a crowd pleaser, or thinly sliced apples or pears can add flavor and nutrients to a simple grilled cheese.

The panini of choice these past few weeks has been a winner: roast beef, cheddar, caramelized onions and sautéed greens with raspberry mustard on ciabatta or whole grain Italian.