Oregon Tuna Melts

 After I made these sandwiches I realized I left out the pickles!  But I liked the substitution of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for mayonnaise with the tuna.  I made these for lunch when my grandparents were here, and since my grandpa can't have onions, I had to put these on separately on top of the tuna instead of mixing it in.  Some of my favorite things are ciabatta bread and paninis, so when I saw this recipe in the magazine I put it aside because I knew I'd have to try.

Oregon Tuna Melts

Adopted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

Four 6-ounce cans albacore tuna

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon minced basil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 ciabatta rolls, split

Dijon mustard for spreading

Eight 1/4-inch-thick slices of Swiss cheese

Sixteen 1/8-inch-thick lengthwise slices of kosher dill pickle

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the tuna with the onion, olive oil, vinegar, basil and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a panini press or griddle. Spread the cut sides of the rolls with mustard and top each roll half with a slice of cheese. Spread the tuna salad on the bottoms and cover with the pickles. Close the sandwiches and put in George Foreman grill or panini maker.

Add the sandwiches to the press and cook over moderate heat until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.