Smoked Gouda & Prosciutto Panini

The first celebrity chef I ever recognized so many years ago was Wolfgang Puck.  The only food of his I have ever eaten (before this panini) was the pizza in his take out joint in Chicago which I doubt he's ever been to, but I secretly love it anyway.... my standards drop when the options are reheated pancakes at the Chili's or dealing with really rude McDonald's workers.  If you've ever been to the McDonald's at O'Hare you know exactly what I mean.  Well without an oven for close to a month I could easily have fit in with those women.  I was becoming crankier by the day.  This was the last oven-less meal I made before the oven was installed after lots of work by the husband and a few friends... thank you all!  Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

However, you may leave your standards where they are because this is amazing.  Paninis are so much better than just a grilled cheese, but really you can make most of the paninis I make just like you would a grilled cheese because I put cheese on everything.... a lot of cheese... a WHOLE lot of cheese... an amount that cannot even be considered diet friendly.  This time I made it just as stated so you can blame Wolfgang for the super rich and tasty and non-diet friendly sandwich. 

I wanted to make this with a Moroccan Tomato Soup kind of an adult version of grilled cheese and tomato soup, but I got tooooooo lazy.  Oh well next time... and there will definitely be a next time... like maybe this weekend.  Oh yeah, it was that good.  We served it with mini gerkins to help cut the creamy richness, and some chips, but next time if we serve it as is without soup I would make sweet potato fries.  Now I want fries.

Insert amazing photo from your mind here of what the soup could of, would of, should of looked like had I not become so ridiculously lazy thanks to my imense disappointment with my kitchen after the gaping black hole where the oven should be sucked my will to live... well cook.

Smoked Gouda & Prosciutto Panini
adapted (or not) from Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients
2 slices good-quality sourdough bread, each about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons good-quality prepared mayonnaise, extra-virgin olive oil, or unsalted butter
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked Gouda cheese
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or cooked ham
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced red onion
2 thin slices ripe Roma (plum) tomato
1 ounce shredded Fontina cheese

Method

Combine everything, squish between two slices of bread, put onto a hot panini grill and and smash with lid.  Cook until cheese gets all gooey and fantastic.

Calling Mushroom Lovers and Those Who Wish To Like Mushrooms

These look like unassuming stuffed mushrooms don't they?  You think that's what they are.... what these little babies are, are my secret weapon!  These mushrooms have converted many a mushroom hater, and I can pretty much use them as a bargaining chip to get my friend Bryan to do things like say.... host a BBQ for ten to twenty of my closest family and friends at a moments notice.  Although I think the large batch of lobster from a few posts ago may have helped with that matter. 

Everyone has that recipe.  You know the recipe that you make that isn't really difficult, but that people really love.  And I mean the kind of love that when they tell other people about the recipe they make little happy faces and maybe once in awhile do a little dance.  Don't get me wrong I like these, that's why I make them, but I don't dance for them... but my friend Jess might.  Jessica and Bryan... this post is for the two of you since you are both separated from your mushroom hook-up by about 1500 miles.  Love you.  Mwah.

Eileen's Stuffed Mushrooms
From Moi

Ingredients

1 pound of baby bella, wiped, de-stemmed, and lightly oiled, finely chop about 1/3 of the stems and set them aside
1 package of frozen spinach (10oz), thawed, and squeezed of as much liquid as possible
1 bunch of scallion, washed, and diced, all the white and the light green as well
A generous sprinkle of breadcrumbs
8oz. cream cheese, softened
3oz. garlic herb feta, finely diced
parmesan (I've never measured it... hmmmm.... I'd say a good handful)
Olive Oil
garlic clove or two, minced

Method

Scoop out the mushrooms so can stuff them.

Put a large glug of olive oil in the pan... get it good and hot.  Add garlic and onion.  Saute until they get glossy (real technical terms here).  Add the finely chopped mushroom stems.  Break up spinach and add.  Break up any remaining clumps.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Add half the grated parmesan, stir again.  Add the cream cheese.  Stir around so it's fairly mixed.  Then add the feta, mixed again (like I said... difficult stuff here).  Overstuff the mushrooms.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.  Cook for 20 minutes or until they are heated through and the parm gets all toasty and delicious.

If you're mushrooms are particularly thick, you may want to cook them for about 10 minutes before stuffing and cooking again.  Otherwise the mushrooms don't get soft enough and there will be no happy dance.