Simple Italian Sandwiches: Recipes from New York's Favorite Panini Bar

Simple Italian Sandwiches

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

All right reserved.

ISBN: 006059974X

Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Tomato Panini

Makes 4 panini

These ingredients are as emblematic of Italy as spaghetti itself. We use fresh tomatoes when they're ripe and fragrant, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes (see page 24) when they're not. Serve this panino with a little Peperonata alongside for color and a little jolt of acidic heat.

Ingredients:

4 ciabatta rolls

15 thin slices soppressata or other hard salami

1 small bunch arugula, well rinsed and dried

Freshly ground black pepper

8 thin slices Italian Fontina

Instructions:

1. Preheat a panini grill.

2. Slice off the domed tops of the ciabatta rolls and reserve for another use. The rolls should now be about 1 inch thick. Split the rolls horizontally.

3. Drizzle a trail of olive oil over the bottom half of each roll. Follow with 3 slices of prosciutto per sandwich. Top each sandwich with about 3 tomato slices. Finish with the mozzarella, using about 2 slices per sandwich to achieve a thin, even layer. Season with salt and pepper and cover with the top halves of the ciabatta.

4. Grill the sandwiches for about 3 minutes until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese has just begun to melt. Cuteach in half and serve with a tablespoon or two of Peperonata, if you want, on each plate.

Roasted Garlic and Arugula Oil Bruschetta

Makes 8 bruschetta

This bruschetta is garlic bread for serious garlic lovers: whole roasted cloves are topped with a bright green streak of peppery arugula oil. Some feel that mints should be kept at the ready. We think there's nothing better than garlic breath.

There will be leftover arugula oil; use the extra over sandwiches, or spooned over a Potato and Watercress Frittata (page 118).

Ingredients:

8 baguette slices, about ½ inch thick, cut on the diagonal

1 cup ricotta fresca

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes (page 24)

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Instructions:

1. Combine the arugula, olive oil, and salt in a blender and puree to a smooth, vivid green. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

2. Toast the baguette slices on a preheated panini grill for 1 to 2 minutes or in a toaster oven until they are lightly browned.

3. Top each toast with a few cloves of Balsamic Roasted Garlic. Spoon a trail of arugula oil over each and serve immediately.

Continues...

---

Excerpted from Simple Italian Sandwiches
by Jennifer Denton
Copyright © 2006 by Jennifer Denton.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---