Mint & Pistachio, Cucumber and Asparagus Piccolo Panini
As soon as I saw these sandwiches, I fell in love.
There's no recipe, but I love a creative culinary challenge, finding a visual reference, then creating my own interpretation, with obvious hints at what it might actually be. I'm imagining all kinds of seasonal vegetable variations, and fillings of different flavors.
SHOPPING LIST:
1 English or Persian seedless cucumber
4 spears of asparagus, blanched and chilled
4 thin slices of pullman or brioche loaf
1/2 cup Italian mascarpone cheese
1 Tablespoon Bella Cucina Mint & Pistachio Pesto
1 teaspoon Bella Cucina Wild Oregano & Sage Salt
PREPARATION:
Thinly slice the bread and remove the crust. (Toast the crust and process for breadcrumbs!) In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone, pesto and 3/4 teaspoon salt until smooth and well blended.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread 2 tablespoons of the filling on one slice of bread. Depending on the variations you want, you can do as follows:
For open face cucumber sandwiches: thinly slice the cucumbers in both rounds and long strips. Place one type of sliced cucumbers on each slice of bread, then cut into squares, triangles or rounds with a cutter. Finish with a sprinkle of salt.
For asparagus two slice sandwiches: cut the asparagus to fit the size of the slice of bread. Place another slice with filling over the asparagus. Press gently to secure the filling. Slice into "fingers' triangles or squares.
VARIATIONS:
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Try other fillings such as whipped feta, cottage cheese, or cream cheese
- For seasonal vegetable variations, try colorful carrots with Sweet Pepper Pesto with Peperoncini & Pimenton Salt
- Artichokes with Preserved Lemon Cream
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Purple potatoes with Walnut & Sage Pesto
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Egg salad with Olivada Pesto and Calendula & Chive salt
- Heirloom tomatoes with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and fresh basil leaves