Tuna and Artichoke Panini

The most recent recipe swap theme was celebrity chef recipes.  I submitted one of my all time favorite recipes-Ina Garten's roasted Parmesan asparagus and in turn received this simple but delicious recipe for tuna and artichoke panini from Christina Cooks.

We have been having crazy weather here-it has been ranging from frost in the mornings to summer temperatures with highs near the 90s all in the same week.  I made this on one of those really warm nights when I didn't feel like turning the oven on.  I think this would make a great lunch for a weekend but it was also great for dinner.

Giada's original recipe does not call for the sandwich to be heated, but like Christina, I too have always associated a panini with being a warm sandwich-so Matt and I tried them both ways.  I could not find one large loaf of ciabatta but instead, found small individual loaves so this "taste test" actually worked out perfectly-I heated up half of them and left half of them cold.  Both Matt and I preferred the heated sandwiches-they were a little more crispy on the outside and we just preferred them warm.  However, they were still really good cold and I would happily eat these sandwiches either hot or cold any day.

Tuna and Artichoke Panini

3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 (6-ounce) cans tuna in olive oil, drained

1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (16-ounce) ciabatta bread, halved horizontally

1 tomato, diced

Puree the olives, oil, garlic, and zest in a food processor until smooth and spreadable. Blend in the mayonnaise. Toss the tuna, artichokes, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl, keeping the tuna in small chunks.

Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread the olive puree over both cut sides of the bread. Spoon the tuna and artichoke mixture onto the bottom half of the bread. Sprinkle the tomatoes over. Cover with the bread top.

If desired, warm the sandwiches either using a panini press or in a frying pan.  To use the frying pan process, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, add sandwich(es) and press the top down using the bottom of another skillet.  Flip when sandwich has reached desired doneness and is golden brown and repeat.

Cut the sandwich crosswise into 6 pieces and serve.