how to make a proper panini
Take bread (ciabatta, in this case):
Slice it and add toppings. (We chose turkey, parrano cheese, mustard, and arugula.):
Pre-heat the grill to high:
Grease the outside of the bread. (We opted for a light spray of olive oil.) Place the sandwich on the grill:
Now, this is apparently where regional differences come into play. If you are a restaurateur in D.C., you will close the lid only until faint lines appear on the bread. At this point you will serve the sandwich.
If, however, you are from someplace civilized, you will know that panini are cooked sandwiches and, therefore, the sandwich should not be removed from the grill until the contents are heated:
If you wait the extra few minutes that it takes to actually melt your cheese, you will end up with the perfect cooked sandwich:
Delicious!
[This is cross-posted at spritewrites.net.]