by BigGirlPhoebz
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A&M's Testing Notes:
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¼ cup cider vinegar
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2 tablespoons
sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
salt
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1 large shallot, thinly sliced
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1 loaf ciabatta, sliced lengthwise
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1/3 pound
prosciutto (about 10 slices)
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1/3 pound
fontina, thinly sliced
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¼ cup toasted pine nuts
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2 garlic cloves
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2 cups baby arugula
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½ lemon, juiced
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1/2 teaspoon
salt
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¼ cup olive oil
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Make the pickled shallots: bring the cider, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Simmer for a minute, until the sugar has dissolved, then pour the hot liquid over the shallots in a small bowl or jar so they are fully submerged. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then place in an airtight container until ready for use. This can be done up to a week before.
Ask the hotline about this step!Make the pesto: in a small food processor, pulse the pine nuts and garlic until coarsely chopped. Add the arugula, lemon juice, and salt and pulse to combine. Stream in olive oil and continue to blend until all the ingredients are finely chopped and the pesto is smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
Ask the hotline about this step!Preheat the broiler. Place the two slices of bread crust side down on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until beginning to crisp but not totally browned. Slather the bottom half of bread evenly with pesto and arrange the cheese slices in a single layer. Return just this slice of bread to the oven and continue to toast until the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Slather the other slice of bread with the remaining pesto and arrange the pickled shallots on top, followed by the prosciutto. Sandwich the halves together.
Ask the hotline about this step!Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Depending on the size of your pan and the size of the ciabatta, you may have to cut the sandwich in half. Set the sandwich top side down in the pan and weight it with a smaller skillet and/or a heavy bowl so the bread is crushed and flattened as it toasts. When the bread has browned, repeat on the other side. When finished, the panini should be browned, crisped, and flattened, and should have cheese oozing from it. Toast the remaining half (if necessary), and then cut it again to create four sandwiches.
Ask the hotline about this step!try slicing (lengthwise) about 1/2" of crust off the top of the ciabatta loaf. it prevents the bread from getting too hard when grilling and you get a better proportion of bread to filling.
To be honest, I never cook, I leave that up to my amazing wife Sonali (a fellow Food 52 member and previous winner). However the other night she was working late, so I figured I'd try to suprise her and give this recipe a whirl. It was a smashing success, the paninis were delicious! Not only did I impress her, but I also gave myself a big confidence boost in the kitchen. Who knew I could make pickled shallots and arugula pesto! Thanks for the great recipe!
Congrats on the win!! Saw it on Food52 and thought to myself (OH! I know her blog!) :D
Brilliant!! Kudos to you, BGP!!
Regular sliced mozzarella would work as well (not buffalo, the harder variety that is great for melting). Gruyere would certainly work, though it is a little overpowering for me, and less of a perfect match for the Italian flavors. I would stick with something relatively mild, like a young white cheddar, jack, or muenster. Anything that melts really well! Hope it works out!
I live in Chile too, and as you already know, we have no fontina. What can I use instead?
I imagine this is fantastic, but I live in Chile, and there is no fontina to be found! Tragic but true. What is the next best thing? We've got gruyere, this very mild (i.e. bland) but gooey Chilean cheese, and, from the country, a nice "dry" goat cheese. I ache for fontina. Suggestions???
I'm so happy for you! congratulations! I love this sandwich.
I am eating this RIGHT NOW. And it's fabulous. I wish I could vote for it again!
Oh boy. I've been dreaming of this sandwich since your recipe went up. High time I made one.
Thanks for all the comments and support! Thrilled you like the sandwich. I seriously encourage you to make many a pickled shallot--I've taken to tossing them on anything and everything!
arugula pesto is brilliant. and great that it doesn't have cheese because there's already cheese in the fontina. there's a really original brain behind this one.
This recipe elevates the grilled ham and cheese to something truly special, plus it uses some of my favorite ingredients (prosciutto, shallots, arugula and so on). To echo Mrs. Wheelbarrow - inspiring!
The pickled shallots are a really nice touch - I'm going to use this for some sliders I'm serving at a Halloween party. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks fantastic! I love using pesto spreads on sandwiches and this one looks delicious.
The addition of the pickled shallots is absolutely inspired! Yum. Must make this soon.
The addition of the pickled shallots is absolutely inspired! Yum. Must make this soon.
Kitchen Arts & Letters is a culinary bookstore on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
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Cooking the pickling liquid, and toasting the pine nuts.
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Always a good idea to press down on a lemon before squeezing it.
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Pouring the oil into the arugula pesto as the food processer whirs.
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Cool Fontina rind and label.
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Toasting the bread before filling it (and toasting it again) ensures that there are no soggy bits. Broiling doesn't take very long to burn, so be sure to watch it. Amanda is an expert at broiling, as she doesn't own a real toaster. (Weird.)
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The pickled shallots are great -- and keep the sandwich bright.
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As we were looking for something to really weigh the sandwich down, we saw the pumpkin, and Amanda's kids. They were deemed too wiggly.
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This is a great sandwich paired with a homemade Tomato Soup I made. Great comfort food.
I cut down on the sugar for pickling the shallots because I find cider vinegar to be a bit sweet too. Great stuff.