Grilled Portabella Paninis with Goat Cheese and Carmelized Onions

Ingredients:
4 portabella mushroom caps
8 slices of gourmet bread of your choice (foccacia, sour dough, ciabatta, whole wheat, etc.)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
1 small to medium sized onion
1 small goat cheese log or 1 tub of herbed goat cheese spread, whichever you prefer
Salt
Pepper

Method:
Prepare by heating grill and panini grill to medium heat. Remove goat cheese from refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.

While grill is heating up, heat one tablespoon olive oil in skillet on the stove. Thinly slice onions and add to the pan to caramelize. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Caramelizing takes awhile (about 20-25 minutes), so be patient and allow the onions to cook down to a deep golden-brown color, stirring occasionally.

Clean the mushroom caps with a slightly damp paper towel and trim the stem off. With a knife, score the top of the cap and the stem in a diamond pattern. Lightly drizzle both sides of the mushrooms with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms gill side down on grill and grill for five minutes. Flip mushrooms and grill for an additional five minutes on cap side.

While the mushrooms are grilling, check on the onions. Once they have started to brown, pour a small splash (about one tablespoon) of balsamic vinegar into the pan to deglaze the bottom, scraping up the brown bits and continuously stirring the onions. Then season lightly with salt and pepper.

To assemble sandwich, spread about one tablespoon of goat cheese or herbed goat cheese spread on one side of bread. You may use whichever type of goat cheese you like better. I have done both. It just depends on whichever you think you will use for other purposes. Slice portabella thinly and arrange on another slice of bread, pile high with the carmelized onions and top with other side of bread.

Place sandwich in panini grill and press for several minutes until golden brown.

I hope you enjoy this panini! As always, leave a comment if you have a question!