Sun-Dried Tomato and Mozzarella Panini with Olive Tapenade

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My parents recently took a trip to New York, and every time they do, they come back with a carload of goodies. This time, my bag of goodies included fresh Mozzarella cheese. I'm talking about the cheese that comes in a large ball in a container of water. The fresh, fresh stuff. I've always contemplated making fresh Mozzarella myself, but there's just too much science involved for me to even want to attempt it. I leave it to the professionals. They seriously know what they're doing.

I love having fresh Mozzarella plain or in a caprese salad, but it's also really good at melting. It starts oozing as soon as it hits heat. Sometimes I put it on pizza, but I also really love it in sandwiches. I had a few random things in my refrigerator that I thought would pair perfectly with the cheese on a panini, so I went to work and created a beautiful and delicious concoction. Olive tapenade adds a little saltiness, while the sun-dried tomatoes add some freshness. I literally scarfed this down. And I'm not sorry about it one bit. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 2 sandwiches

• 2 (6-inch) slices French bread, cut in half horizontally
• 1/2 cup olive tapenade
• 4 slices fresh Mozzarella cheese
• Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes julienne cut with herbs, drained
• Olive oil

Preheat panini press to medium-high heat.

Spread olive tapenade onto the bottom of each slice of bread. Pat the slices of the Mozzarella with a paper towel to soak up some of the extra moisture. Top each with 2 slices of Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with fresh pepper. Top each with half of the sun-dried tomatoes. Close sandwich.

Brush grill with olive oil. Place panini onto press and heat until cheese has melted, about 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately.

Source: SK Original