Zucchini Blossom And Fontina Panini Recipes

STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• mix all the ingredients together and place in small pastry bag, or a ziplock bag with an end snipped off.
• open one end of the blossom gently and squeeze a small amount of cheese into the blossom. Due not overfill, you want enough to almost fill the blossom not to make it bulge.
• Refrigerate the blossoms for about 10-15 minutes while you get the egg mixture together.
• Lightly beat the eggs and add in milk, flour, cheese, and basil. Mix well. Egg Mixture should be about pancake mix thickness. If the mix is too thick the egg coating will be to thick and if its too thin it will run off.
• Heat a large sauté pan and then add about 1/4 inch of cooking oil to the pan.
• Dredge Zucchini Blossom in egg mixture, shed any excess egg and place into hot oil, continue the process till you fill the pan.
• Fry each side of the Blossom until golden brown, about two minutes on each side, the second side may cook faster, keep an eye on them.
• Place finished blossom on paper towels to drain off any excess oil.
• Place blossoms on serving tray and season with grated Romano cheese, sea salt and black pepper.

ZUCCHINI PANINI

Steps:

• Cut the zucchini diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices so they are the size of the the width of the bread. Spread them out on a plate or cutting board and season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Preheat a griddle or grill pan to medium-high.
• Cut the bread into 6-inch segments and then cut each segment horizontally almost completely through so you can open it like a book. Open the sandwich halves and press them flat against the work surface with your hands until the bread doesn't spring back. Put cheese on the bottom half of each sandwich.
• Working in batches, melt 1 tablespoon butter on the griddle. Cook the zucchini until slightly browned and soft, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until pliable and nearly transparent, another 2 minutes. As zucchini is cooked, put it on top of the cheese, dividing equally among the sandwiches. Divide the olives among the sandwiches and close them, pressing to flatten.
• Working in batches, reduce the heat to medium-low and melt 1 tablespoon butter (for a small griddle) or 2 tablespoons butter (for a large griddle). Put the sandwiches on the griddle. Place a baking sheet on top of the sandwiches and weigh it down with something heavy, like canned goods or a cast-iron skillet. The idea is to make the sandwiches as flat as possible. (Alternatively, use a panini press.)
• Cook until the bread is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook, adding more butter if necessary, until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp, 2 minutes more. Serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI BLOSSOM AND FONTINA PANINI

Steps:

• Gently rinse and dry zucchini blossoms. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add blossoms and sauté until beginning to brown in spots, turning often, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Transfer blossoms to paper towels and gently blot off excess oil.
• Place 4 bread slices on work surface. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Fontina on each slice. Top each with 5 blossoms. Top with remaining 4 bread slices; press down to compact. Lightly brush both sides of bread with oil.
• If using panini grill, cook each sandwich until golden brown, about 7 minutes. If using nonstick skillet, heat skillet over medium heat; add sandwiches to skillet, then top with second heavy skillet to weigh down. Grill sandwiches until golden brown and cheese melts, about 4 minutes per side.