A new gameday favorite
Posted by Colleen | Now Eat This! | Posted on January 12th, 2011
Being that the college football BCS National Championship was on Monday night, I took advantage of the occasion to try out a new recipe, since I had a house full of hungry football fans.
We opted for something easy to eat while watching the game and thus, the panini press was promptly brought out. Ham & Gruyere Cheese Paninis with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Ailoi were hits with the guests!
And since they are super easy to make, I’m sharing the recipe in case anyone needs a quick weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Ailoi
- 1/3 cup of jarred roasted bell peppers (I like to use Mezzetta)
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/4 cup of mayo
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp. of salt
- 1/4 tsp. of pepper
Sandwiches
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- sliced sourdough bread
- 1 cup of grated gruyere cheese
- 12 slices of ham*
*I bought a 2 lb boneless ham half; the remainder is good for lunches later on in the week, but this recipe is perfect for leftover ham from dinner too.
Preheat the panini press to med-high.
To make the aioli, dry the bell peppers with a paper towel. The drier, the better, as the liquid from the jarred bell peppers will make the consistency of the aioli runnier. Combine the bell peppers, garlic, mayo and olive oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the salt and pepper (plus or minus some, to your own taste).
Meanwhile, soften the butter in a small bowl and blend in Parmesan cheese. I used a basting brush to spread the butter and cheese mixture onto the outsides of the sourdough slices. Place 6 of the slices, butter/cheese side down, on the panini press.
Add the shredded gruyere, followed by the ham slices. Take the remaining 6 sourdough slices and spread the aioli on the inside of the bread and place on top of the ham, aioli-side down. Top the other side of the bread with the butter and parm mixture and grill until the bread is a golden brown color. I flipped it after about 2 minutes because I feel like the bottom plate of my panini press runs hotter than the top, but either way, it came out delicious!
I served with sweet potato fries with a sour cream/lime-juice/cumin dipping sauce and it was fabulous (if I do say so myself!)
We enjoyed it with the Clos Pegase Sauvignon Blanc (naturally) but my guess is that it would also pair nicely with our Pinot Noir if you’re more into red wines.
What are your go-to game day meals??
