10 More Quick Panini Recipes

Our last set of quick Panini recipes was a big hit so I thought I would provide several more. I hope that you enjoy them. A panini press makes an ordinary grilled sandwich look exotic and interesting so if you might want to invest in one.

Set your Panini press at 375 degrees. The following ideas are great for breakfast and lunch.

1) Brie and sliced banana on a ciabatta, garnish with sliced strawberries or grapes

2) Brie, sliced pear, sliced avocado on a baguette

3) Camembert and sliced apple on a baguette garnish with sliced sweet melon topped with whipped cream

4) Swiss Vacherin Fribourgeous cheese (trim off the rind before grilling), thinly sliced ham and basil pesto on a baguette

5) Raclette (trim off the rind before grilling), sliced apple or pear on a baguette garnish with blueberries and whipped cream


6) Fresh goat cheese, sliced tomato, cooked (roasted) eggplant, roasted red peppers add balsamic vinegar after heating on

7) French Munster cheese and cooked ham on olive bread

8) Cashel Blue cheese, ham and Irish mustard on a ciabatta, this is a bit different but it is great!

9) Buffalo Mozzarella, grilled eggplant, romaine lettuce, tomato and basil pesto on olive bread

10) Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto roasted red peppers and basil pesto on a ciabatta.

Spanish Idiazabal Cheese A Basque Masterpiece

Idiazabal  (ee-dee-ah-zah-bahl) cheese is produced in the Basque Region of Spain. It received it's D.O.(Denominacion De Origen) from the Spanish government in 1987. This certification assures that the cheese is produced with sheep's milk from the traditional areas within the Basque region and produced according to strict guidelines. Idiazabal is made from the milk of the Latxa breed of sheep. Basque shepherds still use the old tradition of herding their sheep up to the high mountain pastures in the early spring. Here the sheep graze on pure mountain flowers and grasses and the sheep in turn produce high quality milk.

Spanish Cheese Sampler  at Amazon

Cheese Cutting Board Set  at Amazon

Details: Idiazabal is made by using raw sheep's milk and using animal rennet to form the curd. The newly formed curd is pressed to remove the water and placed into cheese molds. The traditional way of aging the new cheeses was to place them near the chimneys in their summer huts. The smoke from the shepherd's cooking fires would then permeate the new cheeses giving them a sweet smoky flavor. Idiazabal is made by larger dairies now but they  still must use sweet local hardwoods to smoke the cheese. 

The cheeses are aged for two to four months and will have a yellowy beige interior paste that is semi soft and has small holes throughout. Idiazabal has a rind that is inedible and will range from semi-hard to hard that will also vary in color from orange to a medium brown due to the smoking process and how long it is aged. 

Flavor: Idiazabal has a flavor that is both buttery and nutty with a subtle hint of balsam and smoke. The longer aged cheese will have a bolder flavor and is  good for  grating  Idiazabal is a truly wonderful cheese at any age and makes a great substitute for Manchego.

When shopping for Idiazabal look for any interior mold and an overt dryness or cracking in the rind. Any mold on the exterior rind is a good sign that it has been aged longer than four months. It is best to store this cheese wrapped in tin foil or waxed paper and placed in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Idiazabal can be purchased online at Amazon. Idiazabal

Idiazabal can be served with most fruits, Iberico ham or salami and crusty breads or a ciabatta roll. it can also be served with Membrillo and crackers as a quick snack.

Wine Pairing: Any Navara reds

Spanish Manchego Cheese Spain's Number One Cheese

Manchego is undoubtedly the best known DOC (Denomincion de Origen) certified Spanish cheese and is produced in the La Mancha region. The Spanish DOC certification insures that the named cheese is authentic and conforms to all the rules and regulations concerning its sale and production.

Spanish Cheese Sampler  at Amazon

Details: Originally Manchego was made by local herders and allowed to age in small handmade baskets, as the cheese aged and the rind hardened it retained the crosshatched pattern of these baskets. Now the cheese is aged and covered with an inedible plastic or waxed outer layer that retains the old traditionally imprinted pattern. Manchego is a sheep milk cheese, and as such it has a higher fat content (up to 57%) than cow milk cheese. It is sold in several stages of aging. 

Flavor: The young 3 month aged (Fresco) Manchego will have a milder flavor than it's 4 to 9 month aged (Curado) and the 12 month aged (Viejo) twins which will have a much richer and deeper flavors. The cheese will linger on the palate to expose the subtle herb and wild flower flavors and will finish with a slight peppery zing. When cut the cheese will emit a sheepy or lanolin scent and a pale yellow interior paste that is a bit dry and crumbly but not flinty. When purchasing real Manchego it may have an oily look and feel. This perfectly normal and the reason for it is that olive oil is rubbed on the rind to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. A nice substitutes for Manchego is the smoky flavored Idiazabal or Roncal.

Serving: Manchego can be the centerpiece of a tapas when served with green Andalusian olives or with fresh fruit like apples it can also be grilled with Serrano ham. As a table cheese, serve it with crackers and membrillo (quince paste) or fig jam. Marcona almonds and honey make a wonderful addition to Manchego as a desert course.

Wine parings: For the Fresco cheese serve it with a light Navarra, sparkling whites or dry sherry, for the Curado and Viejo cheese serve it with big Spanish reds like Rioja.