I love to cook; I love to try new recipes. But I don’t have patience to cook on an everyday basis. Especially now, when my son is out in college and my mother likes just simple food. So, what is the best and easiest decision?

Yep, sandwiches! I like to make and I can make good sandwiches, with whatever is there in my refrigerator.

But my sandwich making skills went to another level after I bought a simple Hamilton Beach Panini maker.

The word "panino" [pa'ni:no] is Italian (literally meaning small bread roll), with the plural panini. "Panini" is often used in a singular sense by speakers of English and French, as for "salami" (Italian plural for salame), and pluralised for simplicity into "paninis".

The difference between a panino and a regular sandwich, is that bread is grilled with ridges, and the sandwich ingredients melt and fuse together, giving a delicious flavor to any combination of foods. Panini are easy to make, and can be made with any variety of food desired. Served with a salad, or soup, a panino can make a complete, fast, and healthy meal, eaten any time of the day, depending on what you add to the middle of the bread.

In Italy in 80s restaurants of fast food were Panini making restaurants (it seems to me healthier than hamburgers, what do you think?). One of such restaurants, “Al Panini” (“At the Sandwich”) was a place of birth of an Italian subculture- http://oag1701.splinder.com/post/14927478/A+CASUAL+ENGLISH:+PANINARO

This is an original version, shot in Milan, Italy in 1986. Its 1995 reissue is the same great dance music, but absolutely diverted video.

Turkey Club

8 slices Italian bread

¼ lb. deli turkey slices divided into 4 servings

½ cup BBQ sauce

8 slices tomato

8 bacon strips, cooked

4 slices cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sautéed onions (optional)

Olive oil

Preheat Panini press. Spread olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices of bread, oil side down, on the Panini press. Place turkey, 2 slices of tomatoes, 2 strips of bacon, one piece of cheddar cheese, 2 Tbl spoon sautéed onions and BBQ sauce on each slice of bread. Cover with remaining 4 slices of bread, olive oil side up. Close Panini press. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until desired brownness.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

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Italian Hero

8 slices Italian bread

¼ lb. deli ham, divided into 4 servings

¼ lb. deli salami, divided into 4 servings

¼ lb/ of deli turkey, didided into 4 servings

4 slices provolone cheese

8 green pepper rings

8 slices tomato

Olive oil

Preheat Panini press. Spread olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices of bread, oil side down, on the Panini press. Place ham, salami, turkey, 1 slice provolone cheese, 2 green pepper rings anf 2 slices tomatoes on each slice of bread. Cover with remaining 4 slices of bread, olive oil side up. Close Panini press. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until desired brownness.

Makes 4 sandwiches

I can’t help mentioning a Bagel Toast, a famous modern Israeli snack made from a very large, smashed, toasted bagel filled with cheeses and vegetables, sometimes tuna and corn and grilled on a Sandwich toaster. Bagel toast is commonly filled with white, yellow, or feta cheese, green olives, corn, tomatoes, and mayo and ketchup, or a spicy sauce.

It is one of my favorite dishes, besides Israeli salads, falafel and shwarma.