How to Make Italian Ham Panini

Italy is one of the best places in the world to produce the finest cuisines and fantastic dishes, not to forget the good wine, of course. Remember spaghetti and pizza treats that no one could resist?  Well, Italy has definitely become very well known for that, but there is more to Italian foods than these things. And what about those enticing Italian sandwiches called Panini such as Ham Panini or Turkey Panini?
Panino, or Panini in plural form, is a famous sandwich made of a small loaf of bread that is cut horizontally, stuffed with your choice of meat products, cheese, herbs and spices, vegetables, and other ingredients. Panini sandwiches vary: some would have it served without the sauce or topping, as their tradition dictates; some would prefer to add sauce to fit in with their local taste. In whatever style you want your Panini to be, keep in mind though that the best way to cook Panini is to cook it in a Panini grill or press.
To help you get started here’s a sample recipe for the Italian Ham Panini, which is good if you have ham leftovers in your fridge.
You will need to prepare the following ingredients:
-Thinly-sliced ham; leftovers are good
-Italian loaf bread
-Fresh mozzarella
-Provolone cheese
-Fresh basil leaves, or fresh spinach, rinse and pat dry
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Red wine vinegar
-Salt and pepper
Then follow the steps below:
1-Cut the Italian loaf in half. On each side of the cut bread, place thin slices of mozzarella to keep in tact the bread halves together when placed in Panini press.
2-Put a topping of fresh spinach, or fresh basil leaves, on the mozzarella.
3-Sprinkle it with a good amount of vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to get the best flavor from it.
4-Next, layer it with provolone cheese.
5-Then top it with thinly-sliced ham. Shower some more salt and pepper.
6-Put together the two halves of bread and close it up.
7-Lastly, brush some olive oil before putting it on the grill.
8-Let it grill until the cheese is seen to melt.
9-Remove it from the grill. Let it cool for a few minutes until it’s not too hot to hold anymore. Slice it into your desired cuts.
10-Then serve and enjoy your Panini!
Panini sandwiches are not only healthy and delicious treats for everyone; it is the most preferred food-to-go these days by busy bodies. While they can easily be prepared at home and brought to the office, they can also easily be ordered from your favorite restaurant; this option is more expensive of course.
While some people question the calories and fat found in Panini sandwiches, there is nothing to worry about if you make your own, because you control the ingredients. To resolve this issue, always opt for low-fat or low-calories ingredients to fill up that Ham Panini sandwich.

Sabrina Rocca
Author: Easy Panini Recipes
Visit http://www.easypaninirecipes.com and sign up for a FREE newsletter and receive a copy of "Cooking Mastery" as well as panini recipes and tips. Easy Panini Recipes contains over 50 easy to follow, step-by-step panini recipes that will make anyone look like a gourmet chef!

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Recipes That Set the Mood For a Romantic Italian Dinner

There are no strict rules on planning a romantic night with your partner. You can make your night as passionate and memorable as ever. Being creative is the key factor to this. And it depends largely on what the two of you prefer. You know each other best. For a romantic dinner for two, here are a few easy and sure fire tips you can consider:

Researching Important Data about your Partner
Start with listing down the type of food your partner really loves to eat. These are the best foods to prepare. You could try a little ingenuity and create twists to the usual recipes to make the event more memorable.

Meat Loaf

Once you have listed down the type of food he loves, narrow it down to even the tiniest detail. For example, if your partner loves grilled meat, is it chicken, pork or beef? Does your partner prefer his grilled meat well done or medium rare? What are the side dishes he usually prefers? What sauce is appealing to him? Start from the appetizer to the dessert and the type of wine.

Next, plan the decorations, setups and the logistics. This pertains to even the placemats or napkins you will use that will match the theme and food you will prepare. It will create the perfect atmosphere you wish to achieve, and will show how much you took the time and effort for this dinner. It will reflect just how much you know your partner.

Themes you can consider would be Italian, Oriental, Mexican, East Indian, French or Seafood. After you have chosen the perfect theme, you can go ahead and look for the right trinkets, placemats, napkins, cutlery and the like that matches your theme.

Creating the Mood
This is actually a crucial part of your romantic night together. Again, you need to list down the tiniest details like the favorite CD or song of your partner. It is best that you play something sentimental. This will surely set the mood.

Try to dim the lights and use scented candles to enhance a romantic ambiance. Use the favorite scent of your partner.

Decorate your house or garden by filling the room with your partner's favorite flowers. Color can surely add a great deal to the romantic atmosphere. Deep red is a good color for the flowers. Along certain parts of the floor, scatter some rose petals, especially around your dinner table. You can also be as creative as making a rose petal pathway from the door to your dinner table. You can drape fabric on some areas of the room for more elegance. You can also use this to hide unromantic sections of the room.

Preparing and Serving Dinner
Italian is one of the most popular themes used because many of us like Italian cuisines. Here are simple Italian recipes you can prepare and serve on your romantic dinner with your partner:

You could try Bresaolo con Rucola for the appetizer. Bresaola pertains to seasoned and salted beef aged for 2 to 3 months and then air dried. It is produced from a valley in the Alps along the Lombardy region of northern Italy called Valtellina. Its color is brilliant uniform red with a few thin and white streaks of fat. Cut it very thinly to be moist and tender. Since it is very lean, it is mostly recommended to people who are dieting but it is a superb ingredient for refined and modern cooking.

Ingredients are a fistful of fresh arugula, 7 ounces of finely sliced Italian Bresaola, 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 cup of finely sliced Italian Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Place the Bresaola either on a large-sized plate or on 4 small plates. Make sure you overlap the slices to completelt cover the plate. Add the arugula and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the slices with salt, olive oil and pepper. Serve.

Your main dish could be Italian Meat Loaf called Polpettone. This can be made on the stove instead of using the oven.

Ingredients are 10 ounces ground pork, 10 ounces lean ground beef, ½ small white onion, 1 egg, 1/3 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, a pinch of fresh ground pepper, 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, whole milk and 1 teaspoon salt.

Use a 9- to 10-inch frying pan, heat some oil and butter. Cut the onion into big pieces and cook in low heat, occasionally mixing it. In a large bowl, combine the Parmesan, meat, pepper, salt and egg. Remove the onions from the heat after 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time but leave the butter and oil in the pan.

Put the meat mixture into the pan. Press it down using a spoon. Cook the meat mixture in Medium heat until it becomes golden brown. Turn it and brown the other side as well. When the 2nd side turns brown, add some milk until the meat is covered completely.

Lower the heat to minimum, covering and allowing it to simmer for an hour. Then, take off the lid. If there is still too much liquid, allow simmering again for another 15 minutes or so but leave it uncovered. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Chocolate Balls or also called Palline di Cioccolato can be served for dessert.

Ingredients are 1 cup Hazel nuts (shelled), 3 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, ¾ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon cold Espresso coffee, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa.

Grate the chocolate in a bowl. Put the hazel nuts inside the food processor and blend thoroughly. Mix the nuts with the chocolate, coffee, sugar and butter. Prepare a plate and put the cocoa. Roll the mixture into balls that measures approximately 1 inch, using your hands. Place the balls on the cocoa. When all the balls are ready, gently roll them on the cocoa.

Put them on a serving dish. Keep them inside the fridge until you are ready to serve them. You can use instant coffee as an alternative to Espresso. Almonds can be used instead of hazel nuts.

Recipes That Set the Mood For a Romantic Italian Dinner

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Vegetarian Italian - Delicious Options For Meat Lovers

Everyone agrees that eating less meat is healthier -- for you, for your pocketbook, for the planet. But I've tried to adopt vegetarianism and found it doesn't work for me. I never really feel good on a 100% vegetarian diet.

I believe that each body is different, and that some people simply need meat protein. So how do you balance that need with your desire for a healthier lifestyle?

Meat Loaf

One excellent answer is centuries old -- vegetarian Italian cuisine! Since Roman times, Italian food has mainly focused on eggs, cheese, bread, olives and fresh seasonal vegetables. The Romans reserved meat and fish for special occasions.

As time went on, however, meat-eating became a privilege of the wealthy. Country folk continued to grow their own food, and usually raised cattle as a source of milk and cheese, not meat.

In the 1980s, Italy gave birth to the international Slow Food movement, which strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine, and promotes farming methods in line with the local ecosystem.

These things, and more, have contributed to a culinary tradition rich in meatless options.

So why not go beyond pizza and pasta, and try one unusual vegetarian Italian dish this week? Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Polenta

A strange but yummy cornmeal porridge that's easy to make. A cousin to American grits, polenta is a staple in northern Italy and makes a satisfying winter meal. You can find it in most grocery stores, with directions on the package.

A soft mound of polenta can be the base for cooked greens, sauteed portabello mushrooms or any vegetable. It can also be baked in a loaf pan, then thinly sliced. Sliced polenta can replace bread or lasagna as a base for almost any filling, including pesto, mozzarella, tomato sauce and roasted peppers.

Risotto

A delicious creamy rice dish that can be enhanced with almost any vegetable. It must be made from Arborio rice, which can be found in most grocery stores. Risotto has a reputation for being tricky, but the new oven-baked and crockpot methods are almost effortless. Favorite vegetarian additions include asparagus, mushrooms and artichoke hearts (frozen work fine). Butter and freshly-grated parmesan cheese add flavor and texture.

Toward a More Creative Cuisine

My purpose is not to convert you to vegetarianism, but to inspire you to eat more creatively. I do recommend eating bread, butter and cheese in moderation, and as close to homemade as you can find. Avoid low-fat versions. Try fresh mozzarella, the type that comes in water. Frequent artisan bakeries and farmers' markets. Eat vegetables in season, not those flown in from the opposite hemisphere.

When you concentrate on fresh, whole, local ingredients, you'll discover that your cravings for fat and sugar decline. Centuries of eating this way can't be wrong!

Vegetarian Italian - Delicious Options For Meat Lovers

Elle B. blogs about her love affair with rustic Italian cuisine at Vegetarian Italian: Recipes from a Meat Lover's Cucina. Curious about polenta? See recipes and photos here.

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Italian Staples - A Tasty Baked Polenta Recipe

Polenta is typically Italian although its popularity is slowly but surely spreading over the United States and the rest of Europe. This ingredient is made with ground cornmeal. The cornmeal is boiled in water and ground finely or coarsely. It can be made with white or yellow cornmeal. Traditional polenta needs to cook for an hour and you have to stir it all the time.

There are some "quick-cooking" varieties on the market now though, since not everyone has the time (or the inclination!) to stand over a hot stove for that long. The quick-cook kind does not taste quite as good as the original kind but if you are using it to make a recipe such as baked polenta loaf, it will be fine.

Use cooked polenta to top meat, fish, poultry, cheese, or vegetable dishes. It might surprise you to know that this tasty ingredient is more popular in the north of Italy than pasta, so if you thought Italians ate mainly pasta and pizza, you might like to taste this interesting ingredient for yourself. It is also enjoyed in Slovenia, Mexico, Romania, and Switzerland. It tastes a bit like grits. Grits are made from white corn and the corn is chemically treated before it is ground.

Cooked polenta will set overnight in the refrigerator and then you can cut it into squares and broil or bake it. You can also cut it in half and stuff it. It is lighter than cornbread and goes well with cooked meats. You can also use this to make pizza, instead of using a traditional pizza crust recipe, because it is dough-like and firm.

The following recipe makes enough to serve six people and this delicious loaf is sliced in half and filled with cheese, basil, salami, tomatoes and olives, to make a really flavorful meal. You can use prosciutto instead of the salami if you prefer.

What you will need:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups polenta
1/2 cup plus 3/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons fresh basil
3/4 cup mozzarella
24 thin slices salami
2 oz melted butter
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

How to make it:

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a big pot and whisk in the polenta gradually. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook it for fifteen minutes or until it is very thick. Keep stirring the mixture as it cooks. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the parsley, butter, and half a cup of parmesan. Let the mixture cool a little, then press it into a glass dish and let it cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate it overnight or for a few hours, until it is firm. Turn it out of the dish and slice it crosswise in half. Put the bottom half back in the dish. Arrange the salami slices over the top, and then add the black olives and chopped tomatoes. Mix the basil with the mozzarella and remaining parmesan and spread half of this over the salami, olives, and tomatoes.

Put the top half of the loaf back on top and sprinkle the rest of the basil and cheese mixture over the top. Bake at 400 degrees F for half an hour or until hot. The top should be crispy and golden brown. If it is not, you can broil the polenta loaf for a few minutes. Let it cool a bit, then serve warm.

If you like polenta and other typical Italian recipes you will love authentic pizza recipes. No matter what your favorite flavors happen to be, there are lots of types of pizza that you can make at home with ease. Homemade pizza recipes are easy to prepare and taste amazing.

GreatPizzaRecipes.com You Make the Pizza, We Help You Make It Great!

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Old World American Italian Recipes - Volume 1-9

The Appetizer: MARINATED CRABS

Crabs, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper.

Meat Loaf

Steam crabs. When red, remove and cool. Break them apart and clean. Pour oil over them. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes and serve.

The Soup: LEFTOVER SOUP

Leftover meat (chicken, steak, etc.), peas, chopped carrots, snipped parsley, chopped cabbage, rice, macaroni (acini de pepi, or stars), cubed potatoes, chopped tomatoes, 2 bouillon cubes, parmesan cheese, chopped onion, chopped celery.

Add leftover meat to 4 quarts of water and boil. Simmer for ½ hour after boiling. Add all ingredients except for cheese and boil again until macaroni and veggies are cooked. Serve with coating of sprinkled cheese on top.

The Main Dish: CHICKEN FRANCAISE

3 lbs. of chicken cutlets, 1 large can of mushrooms, 3 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of white wine, 1 jar of sweet fried peppers with onions, 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs, and oil.

Dip cutlets into egg, then bread crumbs. Fry in oil. Saute mushrooms into mix. Place fried chicken in pan and pour chicken broth in. Add peppers, and wine. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours occasionally basting the chicken with the broth.

The Bread: ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs, 3 cups of flour, 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 cups of sugar, 1 tsp. of salt, 2 cups of shredded raw zucchini, 1 tsp. of baking powder, 1 tsp. of vanilla, 2 tsp. of baking soda, ½ cup of chopped walnuts (or your choice of nuts).

In a large bowl, beat eggs thoroughly with oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda and beat until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased and floured 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes.

The Dessert: CLASSIC ITALIAN FRUIT AND CHEESE DESSERT

Pears, Figs, Peaches, Cherries, Apples, Apricots, Grapes, Nectarines, Gorgonzola cheese (should be avoided during pregnancy), Bel paese cheese, Roquefort cheese, Blue cheese, Swiss cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, plums, lettuce.

Line a large basket with green leaves (large lettuce leaves). Place assorted fruit all over lettuce around the edges. Place cheeses in the center of the basket. Serve on dessert plates and enjoy.

Old World American Italian Recipes - Volume 1-9

Charles Priore

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Crescia Bread Or Italian Cheese Bread

If you don't like locatelli cheese then don't even bother making this bread; this bread has such a great aroma and flavor that you will eat an entire loaf by yourself, it is also perfect for gift giving and the best part is that you can freeze it weeks in advance and everyone will think that you just made it that day.

Remember all ingredients should be at room temperature.

12 eggs well beaten
9 cups un-sifted flour
1 lb. grated locatelli cheese
2 ounces dry yeast
5 teaspoons ground black pepper
1-cup warm water
½ lb. butter melted slightly or real soft
1-teaspoon salt

Put yeast in a small bowl with 1-teaspoon sugar and the 1-cup warm water and mix well, let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place your eggs in a mixing bowl and whip till well broken, add your yeast that you had already started, now add your melted butter, pepper, salt, flour, locatelli cheese, and if I missed any ingredient then put it in.

Mix on low speed until well blended then on second speed for 3 or 4 minutes, you should have a really nice dough, if it is too dry add some water, if it is too wet then add some more flour, separate dough in 1-1/4 pound pieces, shape it until it looks like a 6 inch hoagie bun and place it in well greased bread pans, let rise until double in size and bake in a 300 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes.

The smell should be in the entire neighborhood by the time you are finished.

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at present I own a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at For Free Recipes.net

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end)

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Make a simple, delicious Italian meal for sausage lovers!

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These are the ingredients you need. Two pounds of Italian sausage, 2 onions, 4 red pepper, water, salt and pepper and a few bay leaves.

This delicious dish is dead on my family for a year Italian friend. I'm not Italian and never ate much Italian food growing up, but when my mother made this dish for our family, I loved. If you like sausage, once you taste this recipe sausage and peppers, are you going to prepare for your family andFriends often. When I take this dish for a potluck dinner, I always get rave reviews! If you work all day, you can prepare sausages, peppers and onions in the night and put everything in crockpot in the morning. When you get home, your house will smell wonderful, and dinner is ready!

The dinner menu is very simple, sausage and peppers, Italian green beans with mushrooms and a crusty loaf of white bread. You will be amazed at howsatisfying, filling and delicious meal is present. The peppers and green beans with vitamin C and antioxidants are downloaded or if evidence of garlic to promote a healthy, also helps to prevent cancer by stimulating the immune system and, of course, the sausage is delicious!

If you are buying, you must obtain a number of things for the meal. In the meat section, look for hot Italian sausage. The sausage must be the Italian one, and no otherType. If you do not know if you like hot sausage, you can use sweet or mild Italian sausage. Sometimes I use a hot book, and a pound of candy. Choose the type of sausage tastes of your family. The original recipe calls for all the sausages. You need a total of two books.

Then go to service products. Choose four or five large peppers Nice. My mother used the green, but you can also change the mix of red or orange, or evenfor more color. A green pepper is simply a mature red, yellow or orange. This mature peppers contain more nutrients and vitamins than their counterparts in green unripened. Now choose two large yellow onions, 2 ½ -3 pounds fresh green beans, a quart of fresh mushrooms and a clove of garlic. Finally, you can find a crust of bread, bread baking in Nice. If you do not have butter and onion powder for the home, these items sell for now.

When you come home, put yourFood in the refrigerator until ready to prepare meals. Beans, peppers, mushrooms and onions can be prepared in advance if you wish. Just wash and cut green beans at each end, and cut the core, seeds, and cut all the peppers cut into strips. Rinse the mushrooms lightly rinse with cold water, dirt and dry with paper towels. The onion slices. Keep all the vegetables separately and covered in refrigerator.

When ready to bake your ItalianFestivities will need to cut the sausage is cut into pieces about 1-1/4 inches long. All in a large frying pan without adding water or oil and cook long and slow. Place the sausages are cooked. It will take about an hour. While the sausages are jumping, cook the beans. Boil, steam or microwave. Add a little 'butter, salt and water in a microwave-proof container, whether it is microwave. Make sure the beans are tender but still crisp (about 8-10 minutes after boiling).Microwave ovens and steam varies from a few minutes or so watching.

Then cut 3 cloves of garlic, separate the bulb, and skin and a fine. Fry the garlic in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms with about 1 ½ tablespoons of butter. Drain the beans, when you pan and add the cooked. The following season to taste with salt and pepper and onion powder (about ½ teaspoon of each spice is a good starting point). Heat the beans and court dressand keep warm over low heat while you finish the sausage and peppers.

If your sausages are browned and cooked, drain the pot of its excess fat and add the peppers and onion slices. There is also the season to enjoy a half to three quarters cup water, salt and pepper. Fry down about ½ hour (or until the peppers are tender but still crisp). You can not go wrong with the cover pan, if you want to keep splashing.

Finally, add the finishing touch to yourfabulous Italian Sausage and Peppers celebration. Set the table and pour your favorite drink. With a bread knife, cut the bread slices. Take butter from refrigerator to soften. Add the sausage and peppers and green beans and mushrooms on each plate. So sit back, relax, eat and enjoy the compliments!

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