LAST EDITED ON 01-26-11 AT 04:49 PM (EST)
This was a big hit here! I used my brand new Le Crueset pan (b-day gift from DH) as the panini press. I more or less followed the recipe, except I used a baguette for the bread, pancetta for the salami, mozzarella for the second cheese, jalapenos for the peperoncini, and romaine lettuce for the iceberg. OK, I guess I only loosely followed the recipe.
I had a few doubts while I was putting it together because I thought there was a lot going on with all the strong flavored ingredients, but it turned out delicious. The only thing was next time I would use less sauce because both of our sandwiches were dripping with excess, but that may have been due to the bread I used. I suppose ciabatta is so much denser, it would soak it up better.
Mr. Karchita in particular enjoyed this sandwich. We both agreed it was restaurant quality. He came home as I was putting it together and looked very puzzled for a moment when he saw what I was doing with the Le Crueset pan. Then he figured it out and said, "This is for the cooking club, isn't it?"
To think I almost didn't make it because it required many ingredients that I don't normally have on hand and/or are high calorie and high fat. I am so glad I did. I had never made panini at home and have had a few bad experiences with them in restaurants. Now I know how good they can be. Thanks for another winner, tkitty!
