Pesto, Tomato and Provolone Panini
Hi friends. It’s raining here. In fact, it’s been raining for three days straight, which means I keep thinking about warm soup and toasty sandwiches. This has led to the recipe I’m going to share with you today. I looooove this variation on the plain ol’ grilled cheese. It’s probably my second favorite grilled cheese, after the one at The Green Well in Grand Rapids, which involves thinly sliced ham, cheddar, Swiss, sourdough bread and – bless it – a fried egg. Seriously.
This one is super simple to make, and while I realize the name says “panini,” you don’t need a panini press to make it. In fact, you never need a panini press to make panini, did you know that? You can just grill them on a flat surface, such as in a skillet. Technically, in Italy, panini (which are actually called “tramezzino”) are made with ciabatta or other non-sliced flattish bread, but I figure to each his own. And this has Italian fillings.
You can certainly use ciabatta to make these, and it will be wonderful. I used a whole wheat Tuscan panne from Trader Joe’s, which is a round Italian-style loaf. It’s crusty with a nice, airy crumb and grills beautifully. If it were summer, I’d make these with homemade pesto and locally grown tomatoes, but it’s not, so I use jarred pesto (Costco’s is fantastic) and the best tomatoes I can find.
If I’m feeling like a slightly heartier sandwich is called for, I add a few slices of prosciutto.
No matter the season, this sandwich is amazing with tomato soup – gazpacho in summer, and homemade creamy tomato the rest of the year.
Pesto, Tomato and Provolone Panini
8 slices Italian-style bread or 4 loaves ciabatta
4 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup pesto (approximately)
thinly sliced tomato
prosciutto (optional)
To assemble the panini:
Spread 4 of the 8 slices of bread, or half of each loaf of ciabatta with a thin layer of pesto. Add a couple of slices of provolone, some tomato slices, and prosciutto if using.
Brush the outsides of the sandwiches lightly with olive oil, and grill over medium-high heat until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, pressing down on them occasionally with a spatula to help the melting cheese embrace the tomato and prosciutto.
Serves 4.
Here’s the handy printable.
Cheers,
