Tuesday
February
12, 2008

Tuna & Artichoke Panini on Homemade Fennel Focaccia

Our panini maker has had a nice hiatus, but last night we brought it back into play.

This recipe is what you call “winging-it”, a jumble of what was left in the cupboard at the time, and for once, I actually wrote it down as I went along. Maybe I knew it was destined to be delicious.

Part of it anyways.

The homemade fennel focaccia… not so great. It worked fine for the panini, grilled and paired with other strong flavors, but take a bite of it raw and it tasted faintly of play-dough. I’m still a bread-beginner, and will surely keep testing the waters with other focaccia recipes. I’ll get a good one sooner or later!

Tuna & Artichoke Panini

Makes 3-4 Sandwiches

Ingredients
Focaccia bread, sliced in half
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 small jar artichoke hearts, chopped, liquid reserved
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 can tuna
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
olive oil

Directions
Combine mayo, lemon zest, capers, parmesan, and 2 tablespoons of reserved artichoke liquid in food processor. Pulse 4-5 times or until well combined.

In a small bowl, combine artichoke hearts, tuna, red onion, and sundried tomatoes. Add mayonnaise mixture and stir well to combine.

Preheat panini maker or large skillet. Divide tuna mixture equally among bread, not spreading it too close to the edge (pressing the sandwich will spread out the filling, you don’t want it to ooze!). Liberally brush top and bottom with olive oil. Press or cook until filling is heated through and both sides are golden brown.

  1. February 13, 2008
    #1 | Reply

    Those sound like some great robust flavors! I haven’t tried one with tuna yet, but now you’ve got me thinking about it. I made one with panko-breaded tilapia, mango salsa and pepper jack cheese this past weekend (in the process of writing it up), which came out well. Hooray for fish panini!!

Have Something to Say? / Leave a Comment

Get a Gravatar. Images displayed next to your comment are called Gravatars. If you'd like to have your own personal image appear next to your comments, please visit www.gravatar.com and create an account. Your gravatar follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog.