Mozzarella, Ham, and Basil Panini

I am very aware of most people’s ability to make sandwiches without a recipe.  Often I pass right by these types of recipes because they seem a little silly to me.  I had bought a large amount of black forest ham when my parents were in town (Dad’s favorite).  We planned on making sandwiches to bring into the Angels vs. White Sox game but ate such a late lunch that we didn’t even bother.  I certainly didn’t want the ham to go to waste so when I found Cooking Light’s Mozzarella, Ham and Basil Panini in the September 2010 issue that I was deconstructing, it seemed like a perfect recipe to try.

Mozzarella, Ham and Basil Panini

David Bonom, Cooking Light, September 2010

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) loaf ciabatta, cut in half horizontally
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
12 basil leaves
8 ounces sliced 33%-less-sodium cooked deli ham (such as Boar's Head)
2 sweetened hot cherry peppers, sliced
1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Brush cut side of the bottom bread half with mustard; brush cut side of top half with vinegar. Top bottom half with mozzarella, basil, ham, peppers, and tomato. Top with remaining bread half.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwich to pan; top with another heavy skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Cut sandwich into 6 wedges.
 
Nutritional information per serving

Calories: 371
Fat: 12.5g
Saturated fat: 6.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 5g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6g
Protein: 20.2g
Carbohydrate: 44.9g
Fiber: 1.8g
Cholesterol: 46mg
Iron: 3mg
Sodium: 976mg
Calcium: 220mg
 

Brush cut side of the bottom bread half with mustard; brush cut side of top half with vinegar.  (I had some nice whole wheat rolls so I used them in place of the ciabatta.)

Top bottom half with mozzarella, basil, ham, peppers, and tomato.  (I had pepperoncinis so I chose to use them instead of buying the hot cherry peppers.)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwich to pan; top with another heavy skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Cut sandwich into 6 wedges.  (I used my griddler but have used this suggested method many times before with great success.)

Yum, yum, yum.  This was a great sandwich, it honestly would have never occurred to me to use balsamic vinegar, an addition that put it over the top.  The basil leaves added freshness and the pepperoncinis that I replaced the cherry peppers with added a nice spice.  I had some leftover whole wheat rolls that I used instead of the ciabatta bread.  The cooking method suggested in the directions is one that I have used often times before with great success.  You can also cover a brick with foil and use that to weigh down the sandwich in your pan.  I used the Cuisenart Griddler that I treated myself to a few holiday seasons ago to press my panini.  CL’s Mozzarella, Ham and Basil Panini is simple to make and much more special than your typical sandwich.

-Heather