Cook: Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Tomato Basil Panini

I apologize. I don't have a photo of the panini I made for last night's dinner because it was so delicious, we devoured them before I could grab my camera. J's comment was "I think that is the best first bite of sandwich I've ever eaten". Here's my recipe for a delicious supper that takes less than 5 min to make!

Equipment needed: George Foreman Grill (if you own one, you can use a panini grill but the foreman does quite well)

Ingredients: (I bought everything other than the bread from the local trader joe's)

• baby heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half
• fresh basil, torn into smaller pieces
• small mozzarella balls, sliced in half (if using the larger sizes, slice into 1/4 in pieces)
• proscuitto
• freshly ground pepper
• artisan bread - we used a wheat/nut loaf my sister in law brought us, but you can use any type of bread you like (country, french or sourdough), just not the white sandwich bread as that flattens out too much when pressed.

Directions:

1. slice bread into 1/2'' slices depending on how firm it is (if it is a denser bread, you can slice it thinner 1/4'')
2. butter 1 side per slice, place butter side down on cutting board (or flat service where you will assemble the sandwich)
3. place 1 slice of prosciutto over the bottom slice of bread. put the cut tomatoes on top. cover with 1-2 more slices of proscuitto (by putting the tomatoes in between the slices of meat, you prevent the bread from getting soggy from tomato juice when pressed in the grill)
4. top with slices of mozzarella to cover 75% of the service.
5. top with torn fresh basil
6. grind some black pepper
7. add the top slice of bread with buttered sides facing out
8. place on george foreman grill. Grill until sides are nicely toasted and slightly crunchy.

Remove and enjoy! Repeat as many times as you would like until full! Serve with your favorite soup (we had leftover homemade fresh asparagus soup).