Simple Italian Sandwiches: Recipes from America's Favorite Panini Bar

by Jennifer Denton, Jason Denton, Kathryn Kellinger

Overview

With nothing more than a panini grill, a toaster oven, and a few simple ingredients, Jennifer and Jason Denton bring the fresh, robust flavors of Italy to your home table in Simple Italian Sandwiches.

Eating in Italy is all about simple pleasures, relaxing with good company, and savoring fresh, no-frills foods like traditional toasted panini, crustless tramezzini, and crunchy bruschetta. In Simple Italian Sandwiches, Jennifer and Jason Denton offer up a collection of recipes for these classic bread-based dishes, plus condiments, antipasti, and salads that are easy enough for the novice cook yet tasty enough for anyone with a sophisticated palate. From Soppressata, Fontina, and Arugula Panini, to Mozzarella and Basil Pesto Tramezzini, to Roasted Butternut Squash, Walnut, and Asiago Bruschetta, the dishes can be prepared in minutes and require minimal cooking.

With simplicity the governing rule for today's busy schedules, Simple Italian Sandwiches is the ideal cookbook for anyone who wants to prepare vibrant, flavorful food for family and friends, and then sit down and enjoy it with them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060599744
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/15/2006
Series:	Simple Italian , #1
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	996,326
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.12(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Jennifer Denton runs 'ino and 'inoteca with Jason, collaborating on the menu and the wine list.

Jason Denton is involved in some of New York City's most successful restaurants. First on the panini scene was 'ino. Broadening the 'ino concept of bruschetta, tramezzini, and panini, 'inoteca added the authentic Italian small plates for which it has been critically praised. Along with Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, Denton is a partner in Lupa Osteria Romano, one of New York City's best Italian restaurants, as well as the newly opened Bar Milano. Food & Wine, in their annual tastemaker awards, dubbed Denton an "Italian food emissary." He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and sons, Jack and Finn, in New York City.

Kathryn Kellinger is the coauthor of the James Beard—and IACP-nominated The Balthazar Cookbook and George Foreman's Indoor Grilling Made Easy. She lives with her husband, Lee Hanson, and two daughters, Maya and Reid, and one Labrador retriever in New York City.

Read an Excerpt

Simple Italian Sandwiches

Recipes from America's Favorite Panini Bar

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By Jennifer Denton

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2006

Jennifer Denton

All right reserved.

ISBN: 006059974X

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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.

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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...

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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.

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Editorial Reviews

Packed with attractive photography and helpful hints...SIMPLE ITALIAN SANDWICHES gracefully imports the cozy ambiance and delight in good food... — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

The Dentons' first book is as perfect in its simplicity as the panini that fans line up for at the authors' tiny New York restaurants, 'ino and 'inoteca. Known for their magic with a panini grill, the couple have put together an accessible, comprehensive guide to the ingredients and techniques (often involving a panini grill) that yield their delicious signature variations on the Italian pressed sandwich, such as Italian Tuna, Oven-Roasted Tomato and Arugula Panini; Sweet Coppa and Hot Pepper Panini; and Artichoke, Fennel and Fontina Panini. They also offer an array of open-faced bruschetti, from Caponata and Goat Cheese Bruschetta to Fig, Prosciutto and Arugula Bruschetta. Less familiar are tramezzini, crustless white bread sandwiches that are a popular Italian between-meal snack, and the book offers an entire section on these oft-ignored finger sandwiches, from savory combos such as Pancetta, Arugula and Oven-Roasted Tomato Tramezzini to simpler fare such as Egg Salad Tramezzini. Warm and inviting guides to a rustic cuisine they love, the Dentons include sections on aperitifs, antipasti and salads-and put the pleasures of an Italian tradition within the reach of every American home cook. 35 full-color photos. (On sale June 27) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

The Dentons are the husband-and-wife owners of the wildly popular `ino, an Italian sandwich bar in New York's West Village, and its spin-off, `inoteca (Jason is also a partner with Mario Batali in his restaurants Lupa and Otto). Their kitchen at `ino is tiny-the cooking equipment is made up of a hot plate, a toaster oven, and two sandwich presses-but they are able to turn out an array of delectable pressed sandwiches, bruschetta, and tramezzini (similar to tea sandwiches) with a variety of delicious condiments. Their simple but inspired recipes translate easily to the home kitchen, especially now that panini presses have become widely available. High-quality ingredients are essential here, of course, and the authors begin with a guide to "The Basics," from ciabatta to Italian cheeses. Color photographs add to the appeal of this inviting little cookbook; for most collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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