Italian Flavors: Panini. The Simple Tastes of Italian-Style Bread
By: Veronica Lavenia
Bread is the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet and is never missing from the table. "Panini": the simple tastes of Italian style bread" (New Holland Publishers) by the Italian food writer Veronica Lavenia, celebrates the many forms of Italian bread with a delicious range of recipes that reflect the flavors of traditional Italian cuisine, with fresh, seasonal, Mediterranean ingredients. From the rustic Panini or the traditional Bruschetta to the popular Tramezzini, Panini is packed with ideas to bring the Italian passion for this simple, shared, staple food to your own table. In this delicious book, with stunning photo by Giuseppe Giustolisi, Veronica has included traditional family recipes, together with recipes born out of a personal experience that helped her to discover how useful it is to share tasty and healthy ideas. Sicily, land of birth of the author, is the hero of many recipes such as this simple, greedy sun dried tomatoes toast.
Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and moisten with 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, add the basil leaves and leave to marinate for an hour (or choose sun-dried tomatoes in oil).
Drain mozzarella and cut into slices. Place mozzarella onto 2 slices of bread, and top with sun-dried tomatoes. Close with another slice of bread and press together lightly. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter, cook the stuffed bread for 2 minutes per side over medium heat.
