
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
Serves 8
Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 medium zucchini, chopped
3 red bell peppers, chopped
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups half and half or heavy cream
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, optional for garnish
Panini (one panini)
1 ciabatta bun or 2 slices of a large ciabatta loaf
Pesto, store-bought or homemade
1 slice beefsteak tomato
2 thin slices fontina cheese
Sliced deli turkey
Olive oil spray
Add oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot and heat on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute. Add stock, zucchini, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, cumin, salt, black pepper and paprika. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover for 20 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender (you may have to do this in batches) until smooth. Pour soup back into the pot and add cream. Stir well. Serve topped with parsley and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Spread the pesto on the top and bottom half of bun. On the bottom bun, with the pesto side up, arrange the tomato, cheese and turkey. Top with the other half of bun, pesto side down. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and spray lightly with olive oil. Place sandwich on grill pan and weigh down with another heavy skillet. Cook until cheese starts to melt and grill marks appear, 3–5 minutes. Flip over and repeat.
Chef’s tip:
Homemade pesto recipe. Use as a sandwich spread, pizza topping, pasta sauce, meat topping and much more. Will last for two days in refrigerator. Freeze leftover in ice cube trays for six months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.
- 4 cups fresh packed basil, washed and dried well
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3–4 garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, more if needed for consistency
In a food processor, blend the basil, nuts, Parmesan and garlic. Slowly pour in the olive oil while mixing. Although not necessary, add salt and pepper to taste, if you prefer.