Kale Panini
- 2 big bunches of curly kale (about 1 pound total), stemmed, leaves torn into pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for grilling
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 8 slices rustic sandwich bread
- 10 ounces farmers cheese or other crumbly fresh cheese, such as queso blanco or feta, broken into chunks
- Pickled Chile Peppers (page 141)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Working in batches, blanch the kale in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, until tender.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer each batch to a colander.
- When all the kale is cooked, let it cool and then squeeze with your hands to remove the excess moisture.
- Cut the kale into 1/2-inch-wide strips and put them in a bowl.
- Preheat a panini press, or heat a large cast-iron skillet over low heat and have another pan of the same size ready to weight down the sandwiches.
- Right before you are ready to assemble the sandwiches, season the kale with salt.
- Add the oil and toss well.
- Finish with the vinegar.
- Lay out 4 slices of the bread and top them with equal parts kale and cheese; add chiles to taste.
- Season with salt and pepper, and top with the other slices of bread.
- Lightly oil the panini press and follow the manufacturers instructions for grilling the sandwiches.
- (If using a pan on the stovetop, raise the heat to medium, lightly oil it, and add as many sandwiches as can comfortably fit.
- Place the other heavy pan on top to press the sandwiches; if the pan is relatively light, add some weight to it, such as a large can or a full tea kettle.
- Rotating the pan on the burner frequently, cook the sandwiches for about 5 minutes, until deep golden brown.
- Transfer the sandwiches to a plate, re-oil the pan, and return the sandwiches to the pan, browned side up, to cook the other side, about 3 minutes.)
curly kale, kosher salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, bread, farmers cheese, peppers, freshly ground black pepper
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-panini-377687 (may not work)