Panini - Italian

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The mayonnaise and relish can be made a few hours ahead. But wait to assemble the rest of the panini until the grill is heating up so it won�t get soggy.

The bread should be cut into 1/2" - thick slices. Any thicker, the panini will be "bread heavy," masking much of the flavor and making it hard to melt the cheese and warm up the fillings.

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Ingredients

  • Blend:
  • For the Pesto —
  • 6 large garlic cloves
  • 2 cups basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 t. kosher salt
  • 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • For the Pesto Mayonnaise —
  • Stir Together:
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 T. Pesto
  • For the Onion Relish —
  • Combine:
  • 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. red wine vinegar
  • 1 t. chopped fresh oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • For the Sandwich —
  • Prepare:
  • 1 1-lb. loaf of bread, trimmed and sliced as indicated
  • 6 oz. provolone, thinly sliced
  • 4 oz. coppacola or deli ham, thinly sliced
  • 4 oz. salami, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup arugula, stemmed

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat grill to low. Blend all pesto ingredients in a food processor fitted with a stainless steel blade to a paste. Stir together the mayonnaise and the prepared Pesto; chill and set aside.

Combine the onion, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Prepare the bread by cutting the top and bottom crusts off and slicing in 1/2 inch thickness. Slice the cheese and meats. Stem the fresh arugula.

Assembling —
To assemble, place a single layer of provolone on one half of the sliced bread. Next, spread all of the Pesto Mayonnaise over the cheese. Proceed with a layer each of coppacola, salami, Onion Relish, arugula, and provolone. Top with the other slice of bread. Brush both sides of sandwich with olive oil.

Grilling —
Spray grill grates with nonstick spray. Place panini on the grill, place a pie plate on top, then weigh it down with a few baking potatoes. The weight presses the sandwich making deep grill marks.

Close the lid and grill panini for 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the sandwich over and weight and grill an additional 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts — don't burn it!

Cut and serve hot.

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