Summer Sandwich

I've been taking pictures all year long with the unrealized intention of featuring them in a blog post.  For example, I documented how to make one of my favorite sandwiches ever, when my garden was exploding with basil and tomatoes. Now, this sandwich is but a memory and the garden is shriveled except for some lingering thyme and parsley.

I'll still tell you how to make it though!  Get excited for summer, it's only 7 months away!

This is really all to taste, so here is a general list of ingredients needed:
Bread (I used sourdough)
Roma tomatoes, sliced, juicy seeds poked out
Fresh mozzarella, the kind that comes in a ball, not a brick
Basil aioli

Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium low heat.

Build the sandwich by spreading a thin layer of aioli on each slice of bread. It is delicious, so there may be temptation to slather it on. But, when the sandwich heats up, aioli gets runny. So that's why dividing it among both slices of bread is best.  There is more surface area to absorb it.

Layer on the tomatoes and cheese. Marry up both sides of the sandwich and spray the exterior with olive oil.

Place the sandwiches in the skillet, weighing them down with a flat-bottomed pot. Fill the pot with heavy things, like jugs of oil or rum. There's no need to own a panini press, this method works just fine!

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Some cheese may bubble out, but don't worry, that only makes them tastier.

There will be leftover aioli, which was never a problem for me. I just made another batch of sandwiches the next night, or tossed it into some pasta.