Tuna Melt Panini

A love a classic tuna salad or tuna melt sandwich for lunch. (Who doesn't?) It takes me back to my childhood when Mom would make lunch for us during the week. However this recipe... "is not yo mama's tuna sandwich" as they say. Cheap, fast and healthy (kinda), this is quickly becoming a dinner staple at the Lacy house. I have started to collect the Annual Food and Wine Magazine cookbooks that come out at the end of each year and I found an intriguing recipe for this Italian-flavored tuna panini. They season plain old canned tuna with a basil- balsamic vinaigrette instead of any mayonnaise and the flavors are so much more exciting. The fresh tuna salad is then pressed and toasted between buttered ciabatta bread with melty mozzarella and a tangy crispy pickle slice... to die for! Tuna Salad: (serves 2 to 3 people) 12 ounces of canned Albacore tuna 1 large shallot (or 1/4 cup red onion), minced 1/4 cup good quality olive oil (I went a little lighter) 1 generous tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (I added a bit more) 1 tablespoon of freshly sliced basil 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes salt and pepper Drain the canned tuna well and transfer to a medium to large glass bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and blend together with fork. For each sandwich you'll need: 1 ciabatta roll sliced in half (or a ciabatta loaf cut into individual sandwich pieces) 2 large dill pickle slices (I like Claussen) 1-2 slices of mozzarella cheese a schmear of dijon mustard If you have a panini press (on my wish list)- that would of course work great. If not, you can use the griddle or skillet method as I did. Assemble the sandwiches and then melt one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and then use a large cast iron skillet/pot/some combination of heavy things on top of the sandwiches to give them a good press. I lined the bottom of the pot/skillet touching the food with foil first. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side until toasty brown. Add an additional tablespoon of butter when you flip the sandwiches over.

I served the sandwiches hot with a simple arugula and parmesan salad on the side. (Dressed with just some fresh lemon juice and olive oil.) Truly truly yummy I tell you. **If you don't like tuna- you could use some shredded chicken breast in its place.