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Italian Panini
From the October 2004 issue of Cuisine at home
Makes: 4
Total Time: 30
| For the Pistou — | |
| Blend in a Food Processor: | |
|---|---|
| 6 | large garlic cloves |
| 2 | cups fresh basil leaves, packed |
| 1⁄2 | cup Parmesan, 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. pistou |
| 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 |
| 6 | oz. provolone, thinly sliced |
| 4 | oz. coppacola or deli ham, thinly sliced |
| 4 | oz. salami, thinly sliced |
| 1 | cup arugula, stemmed |
Prepare bread, by carefully trimming off the top crust with a serrated knife. Just skim off the crust to make a flat surface; leaving as much bread as possible. Flip loaf over and repeat. Now cut the loaf horizontally into two 1/2" slices; preheat grill to low.
Blend all ingredients for the pistou in a food processor to a paste consistency. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill until ready for use.
Stir together mayonnaise and pistou for the Pesto Mayonnaise. Chill until you assemble panini.
Combine the onion, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano for the Onion Relish, in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To prepare panini, first begin by placing a single layer of provolone on one half of the sliced bread. Next, spread all the Pesto Mayonnaise over the provolone. Proceed with a layer each of coppacola, salami, Onion Relish, arugula, and provolone. Top with the other slice of bread and brush with oil. To grill, spray grill grates with nonstick spray. Place panini on the grill, put 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 mins. Use a spatula to flip the sandwich over and grill an additional 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Don’t burn it!
1. Use a chef’s knife to quickly chop panini into pieces. Get evenly-sized pieces by first cutting panini into quarters. Now it’s easy to make smaller pieces by cutting the larger pieces in half again. Serve panini while they’re still hot f