Green Panini With Roasted Peppers And Gruyere Cheese Recipes

GREENS AND MUSHROOM PANINI

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the greens. Bring the water back to a boil, and boil for two to three minutes, depending on the sturdiness of the greens. Transfer to the ice water to cool for a few minutes, and then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely.
• Preheat a panini grill. Brush both sides of the mushroom slices with olive oil, and grill for one to two minutes. Season if desired. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in the greens. Toss to coat with oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle half the cheese over two of the bread slices, and top the cheese with a few mushroom slices. Next, pile half the greens on top, and press them down with the back of a spoon. Top the greens with the remaining cheese, and cover with the remaining bread. Brush the outside of the sandwich with a little olive oil. Place in the panini maker, and grill for three to five minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is toasty.

PANINI WITH ROASTED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Make 4 sandwiches with the bread, cheese, roasted pepper, and a sprinkling of sliced olives; keep your ingredients in single layers.
• Heat a nonstick griddle pan over medium heat.
• Wrap a brick completely in foil.
• Brush sandwiches on both sides with oil. Place sandwiches on grill and top with the foil wrapped bricks. Use one brick per 2 sandwiches to weight down. Grill weighted sandwiches 3 minutes on each side. Split sandwiches corner to corner and serve.

GRUYèRE-STUFFED ROASTED RED PEPPERS WITH RAISINS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Place red peppers on a baking sheet and broil until charred all over, turning peppers as they darken. Time will vary with the intensity of your broiler, so keep an eye on them. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let cool.
• Meanwhile, spread tomatoes (skin side up), onion chunks and garlic on a baking sheet. Broil until vegetables are just beginning to char in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer them to a blender with the sage, pepper flakes and salt, and blend until smooth. Taste, and add more salt, if necessary. Leave blender top on to keep sauce warm. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Peel red peppers, then make a slit down one side of each and take out seeds, leaving stems attached if possible. (They look better that way for serving.) A paper towel is helpful for peeling and seeding. Do not use water, which dilutes the peppers' flavor.
• If raisins are not plump, cover them with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain well. Toss the cheese, olives and raisins together. Stuff mixture into peppers, and place in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, then add the sauce and continue to bake until cheese bubbles, about 20 minutes longer. Serve peppers hot or at room temperature.