Home >Recipes >Mozzarella and Tomato Panini

Serves: 4

• 8 slices country-style bread, each 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 lb whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 slices
• sea salt, preferably gray salt
• 8 oven-dried tomatoes
• 16 large fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Oven-dried tomatoes
• 24 plum (Roma) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• sea salt, preferably gray salt, and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
• 2 tbsp Herbes de Napa
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

First, assemble the sandwiches

On each of 4 bread slices, place 3 slices of cheese. Season with salt, then top with 2 tomato halves, 4 basil leaves and another slice of bread.

Heat 2 large nonstick skillets over moderately high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter to each skillet and swirl to melt the butter and coat the skillet. Put 2 sandwiches in each skillet and place a heavy skillet on top as a weight; if the upper skillet isn’t heavy, put more weight, such as canned goods, inside it. Cook until the sandwiches are well browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, then remove them. Add another 1/2 tbsp butter to each skillet, and return the sandwiches, browned side up, to the skillets. Weight as before and cook until the second side is well browned, about 3 minutes longer.

Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal and serve immediately.

Oven-dried tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Arrange the tomato halves cut side up and close together on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the 6 tablespoons olive oil, the herbs and the garlic. Spoon a little over each tomato half, stirring the mixture as you go.

Bake until the tomatoes are soft and shriveled but still retain some moisture, 5 to 8 hours. Timing will depend on how large, meaty and juicy the tomatoes are. Let cool completely, then arrange the tomatoes in a plastic container, making no more than two layers. Add olive oil to immerse completely, then cover tightly and refrigerate.