What a week! It seems that the arrival of Autumn has brought with it busy days and busy nights. As a result, I’ve been a bit neglectful and I apologize. But never fear. I shall catch up on missed posts and unanswered e-mails as soon as possible.
In the meantime, I’m sending this panino to all of you as a weekend greeting. It’s filled with arugula (is there a better lettuce to use in panini … I don’t think so!), prosciutto cotto, fresh mozzarella and hot mustard.
The idea comes from the Cream Puffs in Venice Flavour of the Month for September 2006: Simple Italian Sandwiches. For those of you that are unfamiliar with prosciutto cotto, it is ham that has been cooked as opposed to cured, such as Prosciutto di Parma. Prosciutto cotto (means "cooked ham" in English) is often used in cold salads (diced or cubed), on pizza and in sandwiches, and is wonderful baked in the oven. One of our favourite dishes is an eggplant dish where slices of eggplant are topped with prosciutto cotto and mozzarella and baked long enough for the mozzarella to melt. If you’ve never tried prosciutto cotto, visit your local Italian deli and sample it.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Ciao!
Prosciutto Cotto and Mozzarella Panino with Hot Mustard
Adapted from Simple Italian Sandwiches by Jennifer Denton and Jason Denton.
- 2 ciabatta buns or small baguettes, sliced in half
- olive oil (for brushing the tops and bottoms of the buns)
- a handful of arugula, washed and dried
- 2 to 3 tbsp. hot mustard (or any mustard that you prefer)
- 6 slices fresh mozzarella
- 6 slices prosciutto cotto
- Heat your panini press.
- Spread the hot mustard on one side of your bun or baguette.
- Top with half the arugula.
- Place three slices of the mozzarella on the arugula.
- Top the mozzarella with three slices of prosciutto cotto.
- Place the top half of the bun or baguette on the prosciutto cotto.
- Brush the top and bottom of the bread with olive oil.
- Grill the panino for 5 to 6 minutes, being careful that your bread doesn’t burn.
- Remove the panino and let rest for a few minutes. Slice in half with a serrated knife.
- Repeat with the second bun or baguette.
- Enjoy!
Technorati tags: panini, prosciutto cotto
21 comments
sher
It looks perfect. I think arugula is ideal for this. It has a nice little bite that lets it hold it’s own with the other ingredients.
Carrie Sommer
Oh boy, this looks good! So funny, I just had a delicious panini for dinner…provolone & salami with dark mustard, lettuce, toms…but this one looks so good! I can’t be hungry again yet, right?
Alison
Oh, I am so hungry! Time for a midnight snack, methinks.
Ari (Baking and Books)
I fell in love with panini when my husband and I went to Italy for the first time. There was this little “mom and pop” shop we lunched on the way to Florence… delicious food, delicious memories.
jackie
I’ll have to do something about replacing that prosciutto cotto (vegetarian), but otherwise…yum!! i agree, arugula is perfect in sandwiches! (try arugula and stracchino!)
Kat
yum! this looks great!
Anne
Just what the doctor ordered, a panini! I love sandwiches but these Italian babies are just to die for. mille gracie per i panini! (and lunch is served)
Lisa
As per usual, all the drooling caused by your blog has had me in my kitchen! I love panini sammies but I’ve never ordered them in a restaurant. So lately, what I’ve been doing (and by lately, I mean almost every damn day for the past week!) is making sammiches with thin slices of brunch ham and gouda cheese on fresh ciabatta – with whatever condiments sound good on that day.. then I butter the outside of the ciabatta and place it in my lil frying pan, place a small plate over it and then put two large cans of tomatoes on top to weigh it down! har!! I keep meaning to take a picture to show you but I’m usually rushing to get back to work. I love how the ciabatta gets crunchy on the outside and turns almost creamy on the inside.. yum! I need a panini grill, yes? heheee
Michel
I made a biga on Thursday night, and completed a batch of ciabatta at around midnight last night (Friday), so your post was written at just the perfect time.
I make mine similar to Lisa’s method, but I used a grilling pan (ridged) and for the weight use a heavy cast-iron pan. It, um, works, but not as well as I would like.
mimi
Hmmm…looks like a a great option for Saturday lunch…fresh mozzarella!!!
Greg
That’s the best weekend greeting I’ve had in a while.You have a great weekend as well.
Nazca
Looks delish!
We had tons of similar sandwiches when I was in Rome. Crispy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside
Karina
Yes. [I love arugula and mozzarella.] I plan on baking a gluten free focaccia this weekend – to make panini. Thanks for the inspiration…
Sophie
It looks so good and so perfect !
Ivonne
Hi Sher,
I agree with you about the arugula. It’s pepperiness makes it ideal!
Hi Carrie,
Around here you can have as many panini as you like!
Hi Alison,
Come on over and I’ll have one ready for you!
Hi Ari,
Ah yes … a panino in beautiful Florence!
Hi Jackie,
Okay you’re the fourth or fifth person that’s told me about stracchino. Must try it!
Hi Kat,
Thanks!
Hi Anne!
Prego, mia cara!
Hi Lisa,
That’s so funny because that’s exactly how we used to make them before the press!
Hi Michel,
You made your own ciabatta! I bow to you!
Hi Mimi,
Enjoy the fresh mozzarella1
Hi Greg,
Thanks!
Hi Nazca,
Ah to be in Rome …
Hi Karina,
I’m looking forward to reading about it on your blog!
Hi Sophie,
Thank you so much!
heather lorin
This one goes to the top of my list of things to make when I get my panini press. Yum!
Britt-Arnhild
I just had some taco with my teenaged daughter and her friends, but I can still fit in a piece of this pannini.
becca
Everytime I see another panini recipe, I make a note to drop by Williams-Sonoma to purchase one … then I forget until the next published recipe!This time I am serious – lovely recipe.
peabody
Looks so good and looks so not on my diet
I swear one day I will buy one of these. We were all set and then we had to use the money for our car to be fixed…darn life
Ellie
Your panini looks amazing – I wish the cafes near my workplace had half your sandwich making skill. I won’t pollute your blog with my tales of how they mistreat their breads *shudder*
Ivonne
Hi everyone,
Glad you liked the panini!