Tuesday, March 9, 2010

My Kitchen Idol

It's another busy week around here and a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, yet again, was nothing short of a culinary success! I love Giada's recipes because they are easy, use fresh ingredients and the flavors always provide a phenomenal symphony in the mouth! Of all of the TV Chefs that make their way onto my television screen daily, Giada is my kitchen idol. Not to mention that her wardrobe and hair are consistently fantastic!


These easy tuna and artichoke paninis are fresh and exotic- bursting with earthy flavors in every single bite. Ashley and I loved our paninis until the very last bite and each enjoyed a small comforting bowl of tomato basil soup on the side.


Tuna & Artichoke Paninis
  • 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives (Trader Joe's was out of the actual olives so I bought the kalamata olive tapenade and did not add the extra oil you will see in the list below...it was an excellent substitution)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves (of course I added one extra)
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 (6 oz.) cans tuna, in water or oil, drained
  • 1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (16 oz.) ciabatta bread, halved horizontally (we skipped the ciabatta and went for whole grain sourdough from Trader Joe's)
  • 1 tomato, diced.
Directions-
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 sides of the bread. Spoon the tuna and artichoke mixture onto the bottom of the half of the bread. Sprinkle the tomatoes over. Cover with the bread top. Cut the sandwich crosswise into 6 pieces and serve.
*recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

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