Grilled veggie panino: back to my first love!

I haven’t posted a panino recipe in awhile, but now I’m back with a vengeance 🙂 This panino screams summer, sun, warm weather and clean eating – and I just love it for that matter! The freshness of the grilled veggies, with just a touch of charred flavor, works beautifully with the dill and sour cream, and makes up for a surprisingly light combo. I asked DH to grill the veggies for this panino on one of the hottest days of the summer, and he agreed reluctantly. Later on though, he realized the hard work – and the sweat! – had been well worth it. First off, you must prep the veggies for grilling. Cut the peppers in quarters, slice the tomatoes, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil on both. Also, trim down the husk of the corn to manageable levels or take it off completely. In my view, this has got more to do with aesthetics and looking good in the pictures than anything else 🙂

Place the veggies on the preheated grill and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until soft and charred. You can, of course, use a grill pan and grill them indoors for convenience.

Take the grilled veggies and place them on a plate/in a bowl to cool. You can keep them in the fridge overnight if you don’t intend to make the panino straight away.

I just love grilled corn! This is also one of our daughter’s favorite things to eat:

Meanwhile, in the pic below you have grilled tomatoes (for this panino) and plantains (for my daily oatmeal). Ignore the plantains, please 🙂

Take the skin off the peppers, wash them under cold water, pat dry and cut them in small pieces. Cut the tomatoes in a similar fashion and the corn off the cob with a knife.

Place the chopped veggies in a medium bowl with the sour cream and salt and pepper.

Take a small handful (about 1 tbsp) of fresh dill and chop it finely. Add it to the bowl.

Mix the ingredients until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Take one slice of bread and moisten the inside with extra virgin olive oil, using a brush for this purpose. I used sourdough, but you can use any type of bread that’s sturdy enough.

Place two slices of mozzarella on the bread.

Spread some of the sour cream&grilled veggies mixture on top of the cheese evenly.

Add the remaining two slices of cheese…

… and finish off with the second slice of bread, previously moistened with extra virgin olive oil.

Place the panino on the preheated panino grill and grill for about 50 seconds or until you get golden-brown marks on the bread.

Cut the panino in half and serve warm. We love to pair this panino with a simple arugula, tomato and grilled corn salad. The corn in the panino and the salad make up a really pleasant and cohesive combo:

This panino ticks all the boxes of deliciousness: it’s light, its filling is creamy, and its grilled veggies are perfect for summer. Moreover, the touch of dill elevates it and gives it a herbaceous aromatic edge which is rather unexpected, but nonetheless inspired. I dare you to make it – I think you’ll love it like we do 🙂