Turkey / Bacon / Mozzarella Panini aka The Gobbler

I spent a weekend up in Sonoma County a few weeks back; it is absolutely beautiful there with vineyards as far as the eye can see.  Which means there is plenty of wine to be had!  I grew up the area, but it has been 15 years since I lived there.  So much has changed, there are so many more restaurants, shops and wineries!  Which means I have a full agenda every time I go.

This trip I spent some time in Healdsburg around the town square; so sweet there and a great way to spend a weekend afternoon.  You can hop from a tasting room into one of many independent shops...my favorite Mr. Moon's; it is a always a must hit for me when I am in the area...then back to another tasting room and just when you are ready for some lunch (to help balance all that yummy wine) you can hit up The Blackbird Cafe & Soda Fountain!  This just opened last year (well, it changed owners, names, was remolded, and has a whole new menu and decor - so it is basically like it just opened) and has quickly gained popularity with the locals.  It is a family owned spot; family has been living in the area for oh so many years.

 

There is some great art up on the walls, available for sale; however my favorite piece, when I visited, was the original logo art (not for sale), created by a local artist Levi Miller.  He has some great pieces, so be sure to check out his site.

Now to the menu....you have to try the soup when you come!  They are all made in house by the owner, Patrick Timmsen (featured in the above photo), and every one I have tried has been delicious.  The most popular one is the Loaded Baked Potato soup; you can not go wrong ordering this!  Great thing is they always have a vegetarian option too!

Even though the soup is excellent; I just love the paninis!  First off, they have the most adorable names!  They are all after birds (or some sort of flying animal); you have The Cheessy Pigeon, The Flying Pig, My Little Chickadee...just to name a few.   You will have to visit to see the other great names.   Second, they taste so good!  Now these are all good and you just have to go with what you are in the mood for.  One of my favs is The Gobbler; it certainly has some of my go to ingredients.  Check out my version below; but I also totally recommend a trip to try out the original. 

Wanderer's Shopping List
Bread of your choice (myself I like this on a Sourdough or Rye, but your call)
Turkey
Bacon (cooked to your liking)
Mozzarella (or you can use a jack; which I did, as it was what I had in my fridge)
Spinach
Pesto Aioli ( 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup or large handful of basil, 1 egg yolk, juice of 1/2 lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper)


The ingredients are pretty easy to assemble, I know you can make a sandwich, so we are going to talk about how to make your pesto aioli and how to make your panini without a panini press.  Of course if you just go to Blackbird you won't have to worry about this.

First up, pesto aioli. Easiest way to do this is in your food processor or bullet; I used my bullet.  First separate your egg yolk and set aside in small bowl; you want this at room temperature.  Add garlic and pinch of salt into bullet; pulse until finely chopped.  Add basil and 1/4 cup olive oil; pulse until finely chopped.  Add lemon juice to egg yolk and whisk with fork until blended; add to basil mixture.  Pulse until blended. Add another 1/4 cup olive oil; pulse until blended. Done - you just made aioli; how fancy are you!

Careful, you are consuming raw egg with this recipe.  If this makes you nervous, you can use and tofu based egg substitute or you can really cheat and just make the basil portion and mix with mayo.  I won't judge you...promise!  This is also a great time saver if you are in a rush.

Now, assemble all your ingredients on the bread; best order - bread - cheese - bacon - spinach - turkey - aioli - bread.  Just be ready to start grilling so your bread does not get soggy.

Panini time!  Now, you need some sort of grill; it can be a bbq, a foreman grill; I used my cast iron grill. It is flat on one side, perfect for pancakes, and ridged on the other side.  Obviously, you want the ridged side for those great grill lines.  Of course, if you have a panini grill, use that and just ignore all of this part.  The other tool I used to improvise my panini press is my bacon press!  If you don't have one of these, a heavy cast iron skillet will work too; or even a brick wrapped in foil.

Heat your grill to medium heat; season grill with olive oil (or some of that left over bacon grease).  Place panini on grill and press with bacon press just for a few seconds to get started.  Leave press sitting on top and grill 2-4 minutes.  Flip and repeat. It is just that easy; plate and garnish with your favorites.  I add a homemade pickle to the side of mine. 

A root beer would go so good with this; of course a glass of wine would also be totally acceptable so you can get that full wine country experience!  Gobble, Gobble, Cheers!