Giada's Venetian Panino

I saw this recipe on Giada De Laurentis' show and just had to try it. It's as good as it looked on TV. It's perfect with soup, which is what I served it with last night. We had Aztec Chicken Soup which I froze the last time I made it. If you have looked at the recipe for this soup, it calls for 1 chipotle chili in adobo placed at the bottom of the bowl. The last time I made it, I didn't put the whole chili in Puppy Daddy's bowl because I was afraid it would be to spicy for him. I just put in a bit of the adobo sauce. He told me that it wasn't very spicy at all and next time I should give him a whole chili. So last night I put a whole chili in his soup, but warned him that I did not actually eat the chili. It gives enough heat just sitting in the soup. Well, he decided that he really needed to eat the chili. After his first bite he said, "That's not very hot at all." Then came the second bite. "Ohhh, that had the seeds in it!" And that was the end of the chili eating for the night!

That story has nothing to do with the sandwich, but I just had to share! The spread for this sandwich is made by combining Gruyere cheese, garlic, mustard and butter. It is the glue that holds the sandwich together. Place some turkey between the bread and toast it up in a skillet with some olive oil. The recipe says to cut the crust off of the bread. I have done that in the past, but I honestly don't think it's necessary unless you are serving them at a fancy, schmancy party. I hope you'll try this soon.

Ingredients

8 ounces Gruyere, shredded

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, chopped

12 ounces sliced turkey

12 slices wheat or sourdough bread, crusts removed

6 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions

Into a food processor, add the cheese, butter, mustard, and garlic. Blend until the mixture is thick, smooth and spreadable.

Spread the cheese mixture over 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange the turkey slices over the cheese mixture on 6 of the bread slices. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, cheese mixture side down, pressing gently to adhere. Cut the sandwiches in half.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Cook half of the sandwiches until golden brown and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and sandwiches. Serve immediately.