A Very Giada Din

Recently, our dinner was all about Giada DeLaurentiis.

Or, you could just say I used her recipes. I did not over-annunciate the names of the recipes or ingredients, however. Sorry.

On the menu were Creamy Red Pepper Soup and Venetian Panino. Both recipes are available on the Food Network Web site.

Giada calls for a dab of mascarpone cheese in the middle of the soup. I ixnayed that since there’s cheese in the panini. I love me some cheese, but I don’t need to have it in everything. Furthermore, the soup is so amazingly delish, I feel like the mascarpone would mask its flavor. This is one of my husband’s fav soups, so I make it all the time. It’s a really gorgeous color and it becomes creamy not from cream but from one regular old potato.

I do make the homemade croutons. They are perfect. They make your house smell really toasty, too. Just heat up some olive oil in a big pan and toss in cubed day-old bread. I used Italian bread, because in H'town that's about the only type of bread you can find. I also season with a little salt and pepper.

I love the Venetian Panino. For some reason, Giada uses turkey instead of prosciutto.  The horror.

According to her cookbook, prosciutto is what is used in Venice, so I go with the prosciutto.

Since I’m back to my fulltime piano teaching schedule, I have to get creative with the timing of my cookery. Earlier in the day, I made the soup, croutons and spread for the panini. Then, when it was time to eat I reheated the soup and assembled and cooked the panini. So, if you’re having a busy day you could totally do a lot of this menu ahead so that it takes no time at all when it’s time to eat.

As a side note: My husband photographer Mark AKA “my very own Paul Child” wasn’t thrilled with the pics this go-around. I told him you would all be OK with that.

Get Your Panini On

A panini is a little slice of heaven. Or as my niece Sophia says, “The best grilled cheese I’ve ever had.” She grooves on the basic American cheese panini. However, the world of panini is an open book when it comes to ingredients. In the summer, we like to have tomato and mozzarella panini. The highlight of the sandwich is the amazing Jersey tomato, which tastes like sweet summer sunshine. Of course, fresh basil pesto and a thick slice of mozzarella make everything taste better in my opinion. So, I guess you could say this sandwich is perfection.

If you've never had a panini, it's a thin sandwich that is pressed down and cooked. It's fabulous, and I highly recommend that you give a panini a whirl.

But first thing's first:

If you don’t know how to make pesto, here’s a how-to: 

 Basil Pesto 

 1 bunch of fresh basil 

A couple cloves of garlic 

A handful of grated parmesan or romano cheese 

Olive oil 

Salt and pepper 

 Put all the ingredients in your food processor and grind away until a bright green basily-garlicky paste has formed. You should scrape the sides at least once and blitz the processor again. 

 You’re probably thinking, “Where are the measurements, Susan.” 

There aren’t any. Pesto is one of those recipes where you just have to just feel it. You may want more garlic or more cheese or more pepper. It’s so based on your own taste. You dig? 

 You may also be scratching your head thinking, “Girlfriend, that ain’t pesto. Where are the pine nuts?” Good catch. There’s two reasons, actually, that pine nuts aren't part of my pesto program. 

First, this is a family pesto recipe. Mommom never used pine nuts, so Susan totally doesn’t use pine nuts. Second, pine nuts don’t make there way into my kitchen because I have a crazy, life-threatening food allergy to nuts. So, if you want to get your pine nut on, go for it! Make sure you toast them before you throw them in the processor. 

 Of course, you could cheat and just buy pesto. I’m not judging. 

 To make my panini, I use a grill pan and the old-fashioned le Creuset panini press, which requires a little muscle. Good thing I work out. If you don’t have a panini press or one of the fancy schmancy bazillion dollar panini machine-like contraptions, you could just place a filled teapot on top of a basic pan to get the pressed down panini affect. 

But I really truly and honestly recommend the le Creuset press. It is made of awesome. 

 So here’s how you make the panini: 

  Tomato and Mozzarella Panini 

1 loaf of crusty Italian bread, sliced 

Jersey tomatoes, sliced

Fresh mozzarella, sliced 

Pesto 

Olive oil 

 Spread a thin layer of pesto on one side of the sliced bread. 

Layer mozzarella and tomato. Season tomato with a touch of salt and pepper. Place one more layer of mozzarella on top of the tomato layer. Place a slice of bread on top to make a sandwich. 

 With a pastry brush, brush olive oil on the top and bottom pieces of bread that make your sandwich.

 Fire up the stove to heat your grill pan, or turn on your panini maker. I like to cook mine over medium heat. Place two sandwiches on the grill pan. Place your panini press on top of the sandwiches and press on down. You should hear an exciting sizzle. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. If you’re making them for company, you can assemble the sandwiches ahead of time and cook right before serving.

Please note: Tomato and Mozzarella Panini may also be made without pesto. Just rub fresh a cut piece of fresh garlic over the bread before assembling the sandwich. Place fresh basil leaves on top of tomato after seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil.