Panini with Speck Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

Piatto Unico | Lake Isle Press, 2011

Panini, like sandwiches everywhere, invite the maker to branch out in creative directions. This combination brings together several strong-willed ingredients, all shouting, “Taste me!” Fortunately, their insistent voices harmonize in these warm, delicious panini.–Toni Lydecker

LC Panini Powwow Note

We’re chuckling at the notion of “several strong-willed ingredients, all shouting, ‘Taste me!’” While we certainly swoon to this collision of highly personable ingredients, we dare say, these aren’t the only bold flavors to work well with one another in panini form. The options are mind-boggling. Feel free to disclose your tried-and-true sandwich tactics in a comment below. In the meantime, if you’re shaking your head in disappointment, muttering to yourself, “Damn! If only I had a panini maker…,” stop right there and read this recipe. No panini maker required. See how easy that disappointment was quelled? You’re welcome.

Panini with Taleggio, Radicchio, and Speck Recipe

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Makes 4

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Ingredients

Olive oil
1 small to medium head radicchio, cored and shredded
1 loaf Ciabatta or a long baguette
8 ounces Taleggio or soft Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup walnut halves, broken into pieces
4 to 6 ounces thinly sliced speck, prosciutto, mortadella, or some of each

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in just enough olive oil to barely coat the surface. Scatter the radicchio in the skillet and cook, stirring a couple of times, until the leaves are barely wilted and lightly charred at the edges, about 2 minutes.
3. Using a serrated knife, slice the bread in half horizontally. (Ciabatta and baguette typically have more crust than crumb, but if your loaf has a good deal of crumb inside, use your fingers to tear most of it out and reserve it for another purpose, such as making bread crumbs.)
4. Spread the cheese over both cut sides of the loaf. Sprinkle one or both sides of the loaf with the walnuts. Place the radicchio on one half of the loaf, top with the sliced meat, and sandwich with the other half. Press gently and wrap the sandwich loaf in aluminum foil. (You can refrigerate the sandwich for up to several hours.).
5. Bake the sandwich loaf until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut it crosswise to create 4 panini. Serve hot, while the cheese is oozy and the walnuts still crunchy and the radicchio not yet entirely wilted.

Panini Variation

You can make a toasted version of this sandwich using sliced country-style white or whole wheat bread. Just assemble as above, heat a little olive oil in a skillet, and toast the sandwiches, turning once, until golden brown on each side.

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