“Shout out” to our friends for having us over Saturday. We had a lovely time and a great weekend. Thanks again for the pickled habanero that was pretty damn hot…and I only had a quarter of one. I hope Josh recovered from putting his finger in his eye after dipping those puppies out. Can I laugh yet? That is funny but only if you are fine. Awesome brownies, Kim and tasty enchiladas, Bill. Good luck with the Ghost Wing Challenge tonight and with the day after. (By the way, this ghost pepper is the hottest in the world.)
We’re not sports enthusiasts that keep up with any particular team but we enjoy the spectator role, especially with football. We don’t keep up with stats or players is what I’m trying to say. I have a competitive side. Growing up there were some intense aggravation games with grandpa, the game with the marbles. Of course aggravation was another game I played with my parents but not involving pieces or boards, just my mouth. Anyway, tonight is Vikings versus Packers. People are going nuts for this, I get it. We will probably check it out.
I was inspired by that amazingly hot pepper and decided to make my own spicy relish from pickled Thai chilies, roasted red pepper and a spicy dill pickle. I thought Sunday was a panini kind of day so I plopped that relish on a nice half loaf, topped it with basil, mozzarella and deli, thin-sliced chicken. Greg really enjoyed my new relish creation.
Chicken, Mozzarella and Spicy Relish Panini
Serves 1 large or 2 small sandwiches
Ingredients:
1/2 loaf Tuscan or French loaf, halved and cut open
2-4 oz. thin-sliced chicken, turkey or your deli choice
2-3 oz. fresh mozzarella, thin-sliced
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
1/2 small dill pickle (I used Bubbies)-optional
2-4 tsp pickled peppers or chilies (I used Thai), diced
salt/pepper
6-8 basil leaves
Preheat oven to 375. Toast bread for 5 minutes before assembling your sandwich.
In a food processor, place roasted red peppers, dill pickle (optional) and pickled pepper/chilies until it reaches a relish consistency.
Place relish on one side of toasted bread, top with mozzarella, add salt/pepper, basil and deli meat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.