Fontina & Mushroom Panini

DeeCooks's Note:

Grilled cheese for grown-ups is what this is. Sage makes a big difference, and so does grating the cheese--it helps the mushrooms "stick" in the sandwich.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 2

Yield: 2.0 sandwic ...

• 4 slices good sandwich bread (I prefer a whole grain country type loaf)
• 1 cup shredded Fontina cheese (more or less to taste)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaf (or 3/4 tsp dried)
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter (divided use)

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a saute pan til very hot, then add mushrooms. You want them to brown some, but not to give off a lot of liquid. Add sage, salt and pepper, til soft, but not too limp. Set aside.
2. Butter one side of bread slices, place two in pan, sprinkle with half of the cheese, top with mushrooms, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, and top with bread, butter side up.
3. In my panini maker it's about 3-4 minutes for how I like it.
4. To cook in a pan---cook over medium low heat until the bread is toasty, turn (carefully!) and weight the sandwich with another pan (or press down with a spatula) til golden.

Reviews

[bluemoon downunder]

A wonderful lunch choice! Quick to make, easy to make - and SO delicious! I made mine in a saute pan with thick slices of crusty ciabatta, and added two cloves of finely minced garlic and two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar in step one. I used a generous quantity of mushrooms, probably two cups, and what didn't fit into the sandwich we more than happily ate on the side. The sage was excellent in this. I didn't add any salt, and added one to two grinds of black pepper. Next time, I will probably add some thyme, and even more mushrooms. Thanks, DeeCooks for sharing this scrumptious recipe!

[Lille]

Yummy sandwich. I used lactose-free smoked Gouda and olive oil in place of the butter.

[Vicki in CT]

Good panini. I used pumpernickel bread from the deli and dried sage. Nice flavor combination.