Goat Cheese Roasted Pepper

Two of my favorite things to put on a sandwich are goat cheese and roasted peppers.  So when you put them both on one panini together, great things happen.  A roasted pepper and goat cheese panini is another easy panini recipe with a taste that is greater than the sum of it’s ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Ciabatta Loaf
• Goat Cheese
• Roasted Peppers
• Olive Oil
• Basil
• Garlic
• Capers
• Hot Pepper Flakes
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

If you just put goat cheese and roasted peppers on some bread and press it in your panini maker and you won’t be disappointed.  But with a few more ingredients and little prep you can make an outstanding panini sandwich.

Start with the bread, you want something crusty on the outside but chewy on the inside.  I’d go a ciabatta loaf sliced in half.  Ciabatta rolls would work well too if you’re eating alone but this is a panini that likes to be big and shared amongst friends.

Next you’ll need a bowl.  Add the room temperature goat cheese, chopped green onion and chopped fresh basil to the bowl and mix it up.  You can then generously spread it onto your ciabatta loaf.

In another bowl, add some extra virgin olive oil, the roasted peppers, salt and pepper, a splash of lemon juice, some capers and a few sprinkles of hot pepper flakes.  Add more if you like it hot.  Give these ingredients a nice gentle mix.

Now spoon the roasted pepper mixture on the bread.  If there’s too much liquid in the bowl, use a slotted spoon and let it drain a bit.

After a few minutes in the panini grill you’ll see why goat cheese and roasted peppers make anything taste great.