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Tomato, Mozzarella, & Pesto Paninis




This recipe comes from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa at Home.  Have you ever watched her show? Yes, I want to live in her house and have her cook for me every day.  Her and her husband are just the cutest!



  • 2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes
  • 1 (16-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella
  • 12 slices bakery white bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • about 1 cup pesto
  • salt
  • balsamic vinegar
  • olive oil
Preheat grill.

Meanwhile, core the tomatoes and slice the tomatoes and mozzarella 1/4-inch thick.

Spread the bread slices out on a work surface.  Pour olive oil into a small bowl, and using a pastry brush, brush each bread slice with the oil.  Flip the slices over, and spread each slice evenly with pesto.  On half the bread, place a layer of mozzarella (about 2 slices per sandwich), followed by a layer of tomato.  Sprinkle the tomatoes with kosher salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Oil the grates of the grill, and working 3 sandwiches at a time, lay all the bread slices on the grill, and close the cover.  After 2-3 minutes, you should have grill marks, make sandwiches, by laying the pesto-only slices on top.  Weight the sandwiches down with either bricks wrapped well in foil, or heavy, oven-safe skillets.  Alternatively, you could lay a baking sheet on top and weight that down with bricks.

Grill an additional 1-3 minutes, or until the mozarella starts to ooze.  Repeat with remaining sandwiches.  Cut each sandwich in half, and serve warm.

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