Our panini press changed my life. I’m not kidding. I bought it on a whim, at the Sears outlet when I was shopping for a new dishwasher. It was on sale for $40, marked down from $180. Best $40 I’ve ever spent. It’s a miracle maker when you needed dinner on the table ten minutes ago.
There is no end to the types of sandwiches you can come up with. Here’s our current household favorite. It reminds me of a late night sandwich I loved to order in the student cafe at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It’s a pita pizza meets panini.
Pita Pizza Panini. I dub it the pitzanini
The pitzanini takes less than ten minutes and no special skills. Whoever makes them enjoys rockstar status. All the ingredients for these particular pitzaninis came from Trader Joes, but you can buy supplies anywhere.
Ingredients:
- 6 round Middle Eastern flatbread or Pita (thinner varieties work better)
- Tomato Paste (I like the kind in a tube)
- Good Quality Olive Oil
- 1 cup Shredded Cheese (pick your fave – I used a blend of mozzerella, cheddar and jack)
- Dash Italian herbs
- Dash Onion or garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- optional: olives, pepperoni, mushrooms or other favorite pizza toppings
Directions:
Squeeze out a small amount of tomato paste (about a teaspoon) onto three of the rounds. Drizzle olive oil. Using a spoon or a silicon pastry brush, mix the oil and tomato paste together and distribute evenly. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of Italian herbs, a dash of onion or garlic powder and and salt and pepper to taste. Top with a handful of shredded cheese. Top with a plain piece of pita and put entire ensemble on the panini press.
Grill in the press until there are golden grill lines and the cheese is bubbling and just starting to brown. Remove and slice into wedges.
This goes great with a nice big salad. If you have hungry teenagers around, these are also great for snacking!
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