Italian Sausage and Pepper Panini

Panini are Italian sandwiches which are pressed in a hot iron before being served. There are literally hundreds of Panini recipes, but the one I like, especially during the hot summer days of California's central valley is made with my homemade spicy Italian sausage, roasted Italian sweet peppers, eggplant, melted provolone, and red sauce served on a toasted ciabatta roll. 

To make these panini, I cook my fresh spicy Italian sausage in a red sauce. Since I use a very low fat ratio in my sausage, there is no worry about the sausage fat in the sauce.  However, if you have to use a fattier store-bought sausage, then I would recommend that you parboil the sausage in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then add the links to the sauce.  You can use your favorite sauce, but if you do not have one, you can use this one. The hot Italian sausage will give this sauce an extra kick, when  used on pizzas or pasta.

Quick Pasta Sauce

2 small cans of tomato sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbsps of olive oil (enough to sauté the garlic and onions)

Dash of oregano

Dash of thyme (optional)

Dash of allspice (optional)

Dash of Crushed Chili (optional)

Salt to taste

Sauté the garlic (be sure no to burn it). Add the onion and sauté until transparent. Add the oregano, thyme, and allspice (If you don’t have thyme and allspice, you don’t need to run to the store to buy some. Just use oregano-which every home should have!) Blend the spices into the onion and garlic. Then add the tomato sauce. Increase the heat for a few minutes until it begins to pop. (Sauce doesn’t boil, it pops).Then add the crushed chili, cover, and let simmer for about five to ten  minutes. Be sure not to burn the sauce. Turn it to medium low and stir it a couple of times.

To assemble  the panini, first lightly toast the inside of a ciabatta roll. Add red sauce to each side of the bread, then and a slice of eggplant and  the cooked sausage over it. On the other side, add the roasted Italian peppers.

Add a slice of provolone on top of the peppers and on top of the sausage.,then broil until cheese melts and begins to bubble to a golden brown.

  If you have a panini  or George Foreman grill, place the  panini inside the grill and lightly toast the outside of the bread. Cut in half and serve hot.