Spicy Caponata Panini…a Guest Post from Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious

Ingredients

• 4 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 2 teaspoons capers 
• 2 cups scamorza cheese smoked grated (or a mixture of and regular mozzarella)
• 1 pinch cinnamon 
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon rosemary leaves fresh minced (preferably )
• 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 5  olives green pitted sliced
• 4 servings kosher salt 
• 0.5  onion diced
• 0.5 cup mama lil's peppers (see note above)
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 
• 8 large slices rustic bread italian thick (not too )
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 0.5 teaspoon cocoa powder unsweetened

Equipment

• frying pan
• panini press

Directions

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Drain the oil from the peppers into the pan, reserving the peppers. If that hasn’t yielded a couple of tablespoons of oil, add a bit more olive oil as needed.
3. Add the eggplant, onion, garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. Toss to coat the vegetables with oil and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is thoroughly tender, browned, and no longer holding the cube shapes, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the reserved peppers, capers, olives, vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, cocoa powder, cinnamon, several grinds of black pepper and rosemary. Stir well and cook about 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. It may need more salt, vinegar, or spices to create a balanced flavor.
5. Remove from the heat and mix in the parsley. At this point you can reserve the caponata in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days, or make the panini right away.To make the panini, preheat your panini press or alternate cooking unit.
6. Lay out four slices of bread, and top each with 1/2 cup of the caponata and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Cover with the remaining slice of bread. Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 4-5 minutes. Using plenty of pressure to produce a nicely compressed sandwich.
7. Serve hot.