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Cook the Book: Healthy and Delicious Artichoke, Oven-Roasted Tomato, and Goat Cheese Panini

Posted by Adam Kuban, March 5, 2008 at 6:30 PM

Today's recipe from this week's featured cookbook, Panini Express, veers away from the ham of the last two days and heads straight to vegetarian territory with Artichoke, Oven-Roasted Tomato, and Goat Cheese Panini. Although tomatoes aren't in season as I write this, oven-roasting those you do find this time of year can help concentrate their flavor, sweetening them enough to play against the other flavors in this pressed sandwich.

But that's not what we did. We didn't have four or five hours to roast tomatoes today, so we subbed in jarred sun-dried tomatoes. We also didn't want to buy an entire bunch of basil just for one tablespoon's worth, so we subbed in some greens we had growing in the office AeroGarden.

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Artichoke, Oven-Roasted Tomato, and Goat Cheese Panini

- makes 2 sandwiches -

Adapted from Panini Express by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman.

Ingredients

3 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 six-inch lengths of baguette
10 oven-roasted tomato halves
1 six-ounce jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained

Procedure

1. Preheat sandwich press according to manufacturer's instructions. Meanwhile, combine the goat cheese, basil, and olive oil in a small bowl; mash and stir until cheese is softened and well-combined with the other ingredients.

2. Slice baguette pieces in half lengthwise; spread goat cheese mixture evenly among bottom halves. Arrange tomatoes and 'chokes on top of cheese, and top sandwiches with baguette tops.

3. Place sandwiches in the press, pulling down top and cooking till sandwiches are browned, 4 to 7 minutes, depending on heat of your machine. Remove from press and serve immediately.

Notes

• We subbed in about 1 1/2 tablespoons jarred sun-dried tomatoes for the roasted tomatoes. Just make sure to chop the tomatoes, so you don't get too large a hit in one bite.
• If you sub in greens for the basil, try arugula, whose peppery flavor plays well against the tanginess of the goat cheese. Place it on the sandwich after cooking.

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Tags: artichokes, Healthy and Delicious, panini, Panini Express, pressed sandwiches, sandwiches, tomatoes, vegetarian