Steak Panini with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I went grocery shopping tonight for no particular reason. Mostly, I wanted to wander in the grocery store. I had selected a couple of recipes that I wanted to prepare in the next few days, so I did have a list, sort of.

I went to the store looking for pork chops and pork tenderloin. Unfortunately all of the pork tenderloin (that wasn't pre-seasoned) was in 3 lb packages, and I only needed 1 1/2 lbs at the most. The $12 price tag kept me from buying the larger tenderloin and cutting it in half, so I was in need of another type of meat. Safeway had almost every cut of beef on sale, and I found some thin cut bottom round steaks for $2 each.

I also noticed that the bakery section had some bleu cheese and peppercorn ciabatta rolls that I had never seen before. My brain immediately jumped on PANINI, so I tossed them in the cart too. On the drive home, I hatched a plan. I was thinking of thin-slicing the steaks and using them in salads or wraps, and I realized that steak panini would be awesome. Last week, I bought some sun-dried tomato pesto, originally thinking I could use it to make a lazy man's sun-dried tomato mayo... and the plan came together.

Steak Panini with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Recipe by Erin Handberg

2 Safeway bleu cheese-peppercorn ciabatta rolls, or other roughly 4" square ciabatta rolls
4 oz steak, thin cut bottom round
3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp store-bought sun-dried tomato pesto
2 slices provolone
Spicy Montreal steak seasoning, to taste

Heat a George Foreman grill or panini press. Season the bottom round steak with spicy Montreal steak seasoning, or salt and pepper. (I like the kick from the steak seasoning and gets used on almost everything!) Grill the steak 4 or 5 minutes or until it's about medium.

While the steaks are cooking, mix the feta and sun-dried tomato pesto with a fork, mashing it together until the pesto is evenly distributed and the mix could be spread easily. Slice the ciabatta rolls horizontally. Place a slice of provolone on the top half of each roll. Divide the sun-dried tomato feta mixture and spread 1/2 of the mixture on the bottom of each roll.

When the steak is finished, slice it in thin strips against the grain of the meat. (This helps keep the ordinarily tough cut tender.) Divide the steak between the rolls.

Grill each roll for 4 or 5 minutes on the Foreman (or panini press). If using a Foreman grill, be sure to hold the top down for the first minute or so to squish the roll down and get the traditional panini grill marks. When the cheese is melted and starts to drip from the roll, remove the panini and cut it in half. Serves 2.

This is perhaps the most delicious panini I've ever eaten, and I'm a huge fan of some of the paninis at one of the coffee shops downtown. The tang from the bleu cheese roll, the spiciness of the steak seasoning, the richness of the meat, and the intenseness of the sun-dried tomato pesto made one pretty darn awesome sandwich! Rob took one bite and began nodding - I didn't even have to ask if he liked it!

As we ate, we discussed other possibilities for the bleu cheese roll and sun-dried tomato feta mix... turkey and spinach, grilled veggies, etc, etc. =)