Ultimate Veggie Panini: Goat’s Curd & Charred Tomato Sambo

If you can spare 15 minutes, deliciously melty veggie panini can be yours for breakfast instead of a sad bowl of bran flakes. Wrap them in paper to keep warm for 10 minutes – this will give you just enough time to run for the bus before you tuck in.

Makes 2 panini

Ready in 15 minutes

Ingredients
2 small ciabatta rolls
1 large, ripe tomato, sliced 5mm thick
75g soft, mild goat’s curd
3 tarragon sprigs, leaves only
olive oil, for drizzling

Method
Split each ciabatta in half horizontally. If the rolls are very thick, slice them into three pieces and save the middle section for breadcrumbs, leaving you with thin top and bottom pieces.

Place a non-stick frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Add the tomato to the pan, making sure the end pieces are cut side down. Leave undisturbed for a minute before reducing the heat to medium and leaving to char for a further minute or so. Remove from the pan with a spatula and set aside.

Beat the goat’s curd and tarragon together and spread over the bottom ciabatta halves. Put the tomatoes onto the curd mixture, and place the remaining ciabatta halves on top, pressing them down firmly. Drizzle the tops and bottoms of the panini with a little olive oil.

Switch on an electric sandwich press if you have one, or place a sturdy chargrill pan on the stove to heat. If using a sandwich press, place the panini on the hotplate and press the lid down to flatten the panini as they cook. Cook for at least 2 minutes, or according to your machine’s instructions. If using a chargrill pan, place the panini in the hot pan and rest a heavy frying pan on top to weigh them down. Cook over a medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes then remove the frying pan, turn the panini over and replace the pan to weigh them down for a further 1 minute. Whichever way you cook the panini, eat while they’re still warm.

Extracted from Vegetarian by Alice Hart (Murdoch Books, approx €11.50). Photography by Lisa Linder.