Recently, The Grill-Meister and I made up a new panini recipe.
We had leftover chicken (actually, game hens) and cilantro pesto and wanted to enjoy them in a reformatted way on Sandwich Wednesday, which is when The Grill-Meister flexes his panini-making muscles.
I wrote about the panini in this post, named very straightforwardly for what it was:
MAY 19, 2022
SANDWICH WEDNESDAY: PANINI WITH CILANTRO PESTO, CHICKEN AND GOAT CHEESE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
I had some feedback after posting from a young foodie friend that the sandwich looked bland, which is fair, looks-wise, but y’all, taste-wise, it was classic cheerleader-style “give me a D!” DEE-licious! Tangy from the sundried-tomato and goat cheese spread, bright and garlicky from the cilantro pesto and robust from our home-grilled Cornish game hens with the peppery and fresh kiss of arugula and crunch of red onion, the panini was one for the books.
I whipped up the 4-ingredient sun-dried tomato goat cheese spread thing-y quickly in a creative spurt, knowing innately that it would be good on that sandwich.
It was.
And so, here’s the simple recipe, with some ideas on how to use it and some embellishments that would knock your socks off..
Glover Gardens Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
Cooking time: 20 minutes max; serves 12-16 at a party as a spread or makes enough for 4-6 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 4-ounce log of goat cheese
- 2 large or 3 small cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 small shallot or half of a large one, peeled and cut in half or large pieces (use a whole green onion cut into pieces if you don’t have a shallot)
- 1/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, including their oil
Cooking Instructions
Cut the goat cheese into a few pieces and drop into a food processor along with the other ingredients. Pulse and run the food processor until the mixture makes a smooth, rich spread. Serve immediately or chill and serve later.
Join Me in the Kitchen
When you don’t need this spread for a sandwich, it is a great ingredient for creating other appetizers, like the stuffed grape tomatoes I made.
After filling, the grape tomatoes are delicious bite-sized treats ready for a summer table.
There’s plenty of spread to go around, and here’s how we used it next.
The sun-dried tomato goat cheese spread is very versatile, and durable, too. It lasts more than 2 weeks in the fridge due to its oil and fat content (all good stuff!).
Variations
While admitting in full transparency that this is a new recipe and that I haven’t tried all of these yet, I know instinctively that these additions would be sooooo good:
- 1/4 to 1/2 lb. smoked salmon
- 1-2 anchovies
- 1-2 tbsp capers and minced red onions
- chopped Peppadew peppers, about 1/4 cup
- 1-2 tbsp chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers
- 1/4 lb chopped ham or even … SPAM
- and more… what would YOU add?
© 2022, Glover Gardens
