
Ingredients:
3 bunches broccolini
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, grated on a microplane or minced with a knife
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
baguette, ciabatta, or other crusty bread
salt and pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Cut the broccolini tops and stems into 4 inch pieces, discarding the bottom inch or so.
Place the broccolini in the boiling water and boil for 4 minutes. Pour into a strainer and leave to cool and dry out for 5 minutes. Move the broccolini to a dish towel or paper towels and roll up or blot to remove some of the water.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and salt. Add the broccolini to the bowl and toss until well coated. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes, tossing the mixture a few times as it sits.
Heat a panini press if you have one. If you do not have a panini press, follow the cooking instructions at the bottom of the recipe.*
Cut the baguette or other bread in half and lay open. Using a spoon scoop the broccolini with some of its marinade and place onto the bottom half of the bread. Spread out in a a somewhat even layer, it is meant to be rustic and not perfect. Place and even layer of the mozarella slices on top of the broccolini. Sprinkle the mozzarella with salt and black pepper. Brush the cut side of the top half of the bread with some of the marinade from the bottom of the bowl, or drizzle with olive oil. Place the top half of the bread on top of the mozzarella and move to the panini press. If the sandwich is too long for your press, cut it in half before pressing. Press the lid down firmly and leave until the bread is golden brown and toasty and the mozzarella is melting. Remove from the press, slice and serve warm.
*If you do not have a panini press, heat a shallow pan oven medium heat on the stove. Place the sandwich in the warm pan and press down using a heavy bottomed pan, a lid, or a spatula. Flip part way through when the bottom is toasted, then continue cooking until the top is toasted and the mozzarella is melted.
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