A weighty issue indeed

Some days, some weeks, the most difficult decision you’re faced with concerns what to make for dinner. This is not to make light of the many other issues in your life; it’s just that there are days when you stand in front of the pantry or fridge and haven’t a clue or a clear path forward.

Anyway, I found myself feeling that way even though I approached Saturday evening with a plan in hand. The day before, I baked four chicken leg quarters and three bone-in, skin-on breast halves. The idea was to use the leg quarters for dinner that night and lunch the next day, while saving the meat of the breast halves for a room temperature farfalle pasta dish with chicken, fresh herbs, and lemon to be served on Saturday night.¹ Not a bad plan, except that the recipe called for more cilantro and parsley than the garden bed could supply, and I was loath to venture out again in the heat just to pick up some herbs from the distant grocer’s. After staring blankly at the pantry for a long while, I decided that it was better to simply change recipes.

Hey, I made a panini

Been jonesing on the Bombay panini at Nadoz lately, so thought I’d try my hand at making a panini at home. I’d hoped to make a basil-garlic aioli to add to the mix, but I fucked. up. the. emulsification. Yes, I’m still angry, a day later. I would have made a second attempt at the aioli right then and there, but since I didn’t get to the grocery store that day, I was out of garlic.

So I finished off the store-bought mayo in a substitution for the aioli, and proceeded with my chicken-spinach panini with white cheddar, pepper jack, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. For one²:

1 burrito-sized flour tortilla
6 oz. cooked chicken breast, shredded
6 Tbsp. mayo
1.5 oz. white cheddar
1.5 oz. shredded pepper jack
.5 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 oz. baby spinach, stems removed
2 tomato slices
1 tsp. canola oil

In a bowl, mix mayo and the cheeses together. Spread mixture over top side of the tortilla, leaving a half-inch rim of bare surface at the edge of the tortilla. Cover left half of tortilla with spinach; top that with tomato slices, then with shredded chicken. Fold right half of tortilla over left half.

Heat a non-stick skillet (ridged, preferably) over medium-high flame; coat with canola oil. Place folded tortilla on the skillet surface, and place a grill press on top of the tortilla. (Alternatively, you may use a wide-bottomed skillet or pot containing a weight like a foil-wrapped brick, or four 14-oz. cans of whatever, or – as in the photo atop this post – a five pound plate from a barbell set.) Let panini sear under weight for two minutes, then remove weight, flip panini, reduce heat to medium-low, then return weight to tortilla. Continue cooking for three minutes. Turn off heat and remove weight. Plate and slice panini in half, then get to eating.

Verdict: Not bad. Perhaps slightly better than not bad, actually. Good crisp to the tortilla shell; nice flavor overall. In future, would reduce total amount of cheese to two ounces and make it all pepper jack. M suggested adding tarragon to complement the chicken; I’ll try that too.

Also, I would actually succeed at the aioli.