Cheesy, Heirloom, Panini Batons

Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Headnotes: Add and egg or two to the ricotta spread (make a double batch) and you have a delicious addition to your next lasagne on your hands. As is, it makes a nice cracker or crostini spread or ravioli filling as well. You can make the ricotta spread ahead of time.

Also, I've retired the panini maker for now and have recently been putting sandwiches in my big skillet and weighing them down with the lid from my heaviest Le Creuset pot. The pressure goes straight down so you don't end up with the tops pushed off the panini - this always happens to me with my panini machine. Lastly, I don't cook the tomatoes along with the rest of the sandwich because I like them to keep their structure.

1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 bunch of chives
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Mozzarella (preferably water-packed)
Small heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 flat slab of ciabatta, sturdy foccacia bread, or comparable
Salt and pepper

Make the basil-chive ricotta spread by combining the garlic, olive oil, ricotta, basil, chives, and salt in a food processor until mixture turns pale green, about 15-20 seconds. Set aside.

Cut the slab of bread into one-inch thick strips and then in half horizontally so that each strip can be made into a sandwich baton. Sometimes there is too much bread going on in the middle and I'll thin it out by trimming it closer to the crust on both sides.

Drain the mozzarella on a paper towel and season with a few pinches of salt and freshly ground pepper. Slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. The mozzarella should go on the bread without much overhang, so cut each round in half if needed.

Drizzle the tomato slices with a bit of olive oil.

To assemble each panini, slather both the tops and bottoms of each bread baton with the basil-chive spread and then add a few pieces of mozzarella. Put the tops on and place in a skillet (see above) over medium heat or in your panini maker. Cook until the cheese is nice and oozy.

Remove from the pan open each baton and add a few sliced tomatoes. Close up and enjoy.