Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans ...

What can I say? I’m Italian and I like to cook Italian food. Well, that is not entirely true; at least not for this recipe. The original plan was to re-post a version of my very first blog, which included one of the world’s tastiest BLTs.

I was in the mood for a taste of spring, the weather had been beautiful and I wanted to cook something that was worthy of the unseasonal warmth. Then I woke up on Saturday morning and was reminded that I live in Ohio and it snows here in February. Still determined to make the sandwich, I went to the grocery in search of ingredients. However, by the time I got there, had driven through the snow and gotten wet to the ankles in slush, I was in a bit of a different mood. I wanted something heartier like sausage and peppers and crusty bread.

In the end, I decided to make a sandwich that gave me the best of both worlds. It was a bit of reach but I have to say the result was absolutely surprising and delicious. The sandwich had all the flavors of the BLT, sausage and peppers and an Italian panini all wrapped up into one. There are so many layers of flavor in this sandwich your taste buds will do a dance — well, either that or slap you around a bit for confusing them. To finish the dish I have paired the panini with a fresh salad made from spring greens, mushrooms, crisp cucumber and blue cheese and topped with a refreshing blueberry vinaigrette.

Let’s cook and wish for early spring and if we cannot have one then let’s cook as much as we can to get us through the winter!


Equipment List

1 medium-sized skillet
2 sheet trays
Blender or food processor for the dressing
Parchment paper

Ingredient List (yield 2 sandwiches)

For the Panini

½ sweet onion
½ each red, green and yellow peppers
8 strips of bacon
4 slices Genoa salami
4 slices tomato
Boston butter lettuce
4 slices Fontina cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
½ c brown sugar
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp white wine
dash of salt and pepper
1 tsp per panini balsamic glaze
1 tsp per panini dried basil
2 tbsp chopped roasted garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp white sugar

For the salad (all measurements are per serving)

1 cup of spring greens
2 tbsp diced cantaloupe
1 tbsp pancetta, cooked crispy
3 sliced crimini mushrooms
2 tbsp diced tomato
4 slices of cucumber, quartered
1 tbsp crumbled gorganzola

For the dressing

¼ c + 2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
½ c olive oil
½ tsp dried basil
1 tsp chopped roasted garlic
½ tsp herbs de Provonce
¼ c frozen blueberries
dash of salt and pepper

Putting It All Together

Make the salad and the dressing first. The salad will keep in the fridge until you finish the meal. The dressing is easy. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into the food processor or the blender. Give them a spin until they are well incorporated. Drizzle in the oil and mix until the dressing becomes emulsified. Set aside. Other than chopping, the only ingredient that needs to be prepared for the salad is the pancetta. Feel free to use the pan that you will be using for the onions and peppers. Slowly fry the pancetta until it is crispy but not burnt. Cool slightly before adding to the salad.

Now the next few steps can be done all at once. Well, one right after the other unless you have more than two arms. Take your sheet tray, cover it with parchment paper and set the oven for 375 degrees. Please cover the tray with the parchment; if you do not you will be picking brown sugar off of it for a week. Or skip it if you are into that sort of thing. Put the brown sugar in a shallow bowl or on a plate. Now dredge the bacon in the sugar. I coat only one side, the sugar melts an coats them both in oven. Lay the bacon out on the sheet tray; you can lay the strips close together but not touching. Bake in the 375-degree oven for about 35 minutes or until desired doneness.

In the skillet, place the butter and the onions and top with the white sugar. Let cook until the onions are almost caramelized. Add the peppers and the tablespoon of balsamic. Let cook until the peppers are soft and then add the wine. Cook several minutes longer and remove from the heat.

Cut the ciabatta bread into the size desired for the sandwiches and then cut them in half exposing the bread in the center and lay crust side down on a sheet tray. Drizzle with a little oil, garlic, fontina cheese, dried basil and genoa salami. Place in the oven until the cheese is melted. Remove and add the toppings. When you add the tomatoes, top them with a little balsamic glaze if you have it; this step will really add some kick.

Serve with salad along side, drizzled with the blueberry dressing. The dressing will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a month, so save the leftovers; it is great on trout or tilapia.