I’d like to open this week’s installment of Weekly Panineats with a haiku, which I consider the most beautiful and expressive form of poetry (apart from whatever it was that Dr. Seuss was doing):
A late night craving
The clock tower chimes three times:
EBAs is closed.
Photo by Tarika Narain
If you didn’t shed a tear at that masterpiece, you obviously are not and have never been a college student. In which case, let me explain this plight using layman’s terms. It’s crucial to me that you understand the utterly heartrending misery that is being hungry after a long night of studying (lol) and having nowhere to stuff your face with oily, cheesy food.
Photo by Tarika Narain
By this absurd time of the night, Collis Late Night is closed and all the pizza joints have packed up for the night. Wallowing in self-hatred, you gaze at your dorm’s vending machine, forced to face the unappetizing choice of potato chips or a pack of gum. You sing mournfully to your reflection in the vending machine’s glass.
“Hello darkness, my old friend…”
Photo by Tarika Narain
This all-too-familiar scenario, like most things, is something having a panini press in your dorm (totally not against college rules…) can solve. It’s time to kick your unhealthy dependency on EBA’s or Ramunto’s to cure your late night cravings. It’s time for you to take your life into your own hands. And, luckily for you, I’m here to show you how.
You are the master of your fate. You are the captain of your soul.
Photo by Tarika Narain
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 7-10 minutes
Total Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 1 (I mean, you were probably going to eat that whole pizza by yourself, so let’s be real)
Photo by Tarika Narain
Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough bread
2 tablespoons pizza or marinara sauce
A handful of shredded parmesan cheese
A handful of shredded 4-cheese mix (I wasn’t kidding about literally taking your life into your hands)
Optional: A blend of green peppers, mushrooms, onions and spinach to make a Veggie Supreme. Feel free to add toppings as desired. Go big or go home.
Photo by Tarika Narain
Directions:
1. Sauté or grill your vegetables for 5 minutes.
Tip: You can use your panini maker to grill, if you’re feeling inventive.
2. Preheat your panini maker to medium heat.
3. Evenly spread pizza sauce on one slice of bread. It’ll get messy, but you could also put sauce on BOTH slices of bread (omg!).
4. Sprinkle your shredded cheese on the saucy slice of bread (sickest band name ever?).
5. Layer your chosen toppings/vegetables on that same slice of bread.
6. Assemble your sandwich and pop it in the panini maker for 7-10 minutes. This one takes a bit longer to cook, so you’ll have to be a bit patient, but it’s sooo worth the wait.
7. Satisfy your pizza cravings, and revel in the fact that you didn’t need no delivery man to satisfy them for you.
Photo by Tarika Narain
Craving dessert? Check out last week’s recipe, the I Don’t Need No Man-ini!