The other day I was reading about a new cookbook that was all about making the perfect panini. Now, I love a good sandwich, but a good panini? That's on another level entirely. As I'm reading about the cookbook, I'm thinking about my favorite panini: turkey, cranberry chutney and Swiss cheese.
Suddenly, with just the thought, I'm gone. Alan and I are sitting outside the café having lunch at Dobbies--the most amazing garden center/food court/gift store in Scotland. We would often drive the short distance from Edinburgh to shop and eat there. The menu was incredible, from fresh-baked scones, to crepes, a multitude of bakery items, lunch and dinner fare, and of course, a list of panini that was boggling. Alan liked the ham, onion relish and Brie, but for me, it was always the turkey.
I sadly leave my memories behind, but returning to the present, I find my mouth watering for a panini. I get online, do a search, read all the reviews, compare prices...and decide to buy myself a little panini grill for either my belated birthday, or my early Christmas present, and luckily for me, the one I chose was on sale at 50% off.
My new toy arrived Wednesday, late afternoon. I got the smaller machine, suitable for one, though there's room on the grill for two sandwiches. The temperature control goes from low to high and every variation in between. (Some models I researched only did high or low).
The grill plates actually snap off, so washing them is a dream. No struggling to avoid getting soap or water in the machine. The plates are also reversible, from the grill to a flat surface for other things like eggs or bacon or pancakes. I only care about panini, though it's nice to have options...
I'm so totally excited I can hardly wait to make something, so for an experiment to familiarize myself with the machine, I make a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Good, hearty wheat bread and mild Cheddar cheese. It took two minutes. Seriously, I timed it. Two minutes and I had a crunchy, perfectly melted, grilled cheese panini...
But now I have to wait until Thursday before I can have the turkey panini I'm drooling for because I don't have the exact ingredients on hand. For once, I can't get to the grocery story fast enough yesterday morning, then it's agony waiting for dinner, and though I kept myself occupied by working on the serial all afternoon, it was never far from my mind.
Finally, I assemble the perfect panini: focaccia roll, cranberry chutney, Hellman's, and oven roasted turkey from the deli at my grocery store--sliced just the way I like it (not too thin, not too thick). I plop it on the heated grill and even though it's a large sandwich, the hinged lid of my new machine settles evenly over the whole thing...
And oh man, this was the most delicious, crunchy, juicy panini I've had since Dobbies. I sucked it down like a starving creature and didn't share a single morsel with the boys. They sat on either side of my chair, salivating in anticipation, but I ignored them. This was my first, true panini and it was all mine...
(Though, okay, later I gave them little bits of turkey...I'm not completely heartless).
So, for this week of the 52s, I had a wonderful journey down Memory Lane, bought a very cool and versatile little appliance, and made my favorite panini.
And the best part? There are never-ending variations to create. Like my plan for tonight. I'm thinking Black Forest ham, spicy mango chutney, and Swiss on naan bread...
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