On a Mother's Breaking Heart

And a Panini's Small Consolation

At the end of last week’s recipe, I planted a little teaser about sharing what our family likes to eat with Pink Soup, and it just didn’t feel right to dangle it there for too long. (And also we had a Panini and Pink Soup night recently so the moment was ripe for the picking.)

Two weekends ago we sent our two oldest babes off to college, which means there are two less place settings at the dinner table each night. And it also means that things like my son’s empty bottle of contact solution on the bathroom counter and my daughter’s car keys in the kitchen drawer bring me to tears. In fact, I’ve watered much of the ground of Southern Lancaster county with my tears since they left. But I found a ray of sunshine in the sadness last week when I pulled out the panini press for dinner.

Because when you live in a family of eight, that means there are eight wonderfully diverse people gathered around your table each night, but it also means that they come with eight very different tastes. Nonetheless, they very seldom comment on what I meals I choose to lay before them, so occasionally I like to have a night when their dinner is customizable.

Thus, Panini Night.

On this occasion, I raid the cupboards and fridge for all available options and then arrange them on the countertop like I’m working my very own Subway shop minus the sneeze guard. And as would be expected, everyone desires their own unique combination. But with our two oldest gone for our most recent Panini Night, it meant two less orders in the queue, which meant the sandwiches finished faster and the sooner I got to tuck into my own panini and Pink Soup. But who am I kidding. I’d have sacrificed the extra minutes any day to have those empty seats filled at the table.

Geez, here come the waterworks.

So (sniff, sniff) what I offer below are six different options that you may like to try out for your own Pink Soup and Panini Night. Each one was crafted by a different person in our family—they’re identities are hidden in each name so if you know our family, you can make a game of figuring out who’s who. Or perhaps you have a favorite sandwich you’d like to offer in the comments below. I’d love to know your favorite pairings soup and sandwich pairings.

And if you don’t have a panini press on hand, no worries! Pink Soup and Panini Night can still happen. Perhaps you want to google how to make paninis without a press because that is a thing and you should go for it if you are so inspired. Or maybe you just want to throw your sandwich into a hot pan on the stove and do it the old-fashioned “grilled cheese” way. There’s no wrong way to do this thing as long as you’re doing it.

Without further ado, I present…

Panini’s Six Ways

1. The Baba: two slices of crusty bread, pesto (while I have a recipe that I will share in the future, here’s a great recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz that you might want to check out,) avocado, cheese (Chao does an excellent plant-based cheese if you’re in the market for one), sliced roasted red peppers (from a jar will do), and chopped artichoke hearts (the canned kind work beautifully.)

2. Samson’s Special: two slices of crusty bread, cheese. (Yes, I know, it’s basically a grilled cheese, but doesn’t the name Samson’s Special give it pizazz?)

3. The Lion’s Prey (not a very-vegan friendly name, but I promise no animals were harmed in the making of this sandwich): two slices of crusty bread, avocado, chopped fresh tomatoes (and if they are fresh out of your garden, all the better!)

4. Pop’nini: two slices of wholewheat bread, pesto, cheese

5. Meme’s Vacay: two slices of wholewheat bread, hummus )(see *Note below for the recipe), cheese, sliced roasted red peppers, chopped artichoke hearts

6. Mai Deluxe: two slices of wholewheat bread, hummus, sliced red peppers, chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, and pesto

*Note: This hummus recipe is simple, takes two minutes, and will give you wonderful feelings of superiority as you pass by the prepackaged versions in your grocery store.

Mai’s Better-than-Store-Bought Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, liquid reserved

1 clove garlic

1/3 c. tahini

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

reserved chickpea liquid

Instructions:

Toss the first five ingredients into your food processor along with 1/2 c. of the reserved liquid. Blend it on high, adding more of the reserved liquid till your hummus has a smooth, buttery consistency. Take the lid off, arm yourself with some carrot sticks, and dig in.