Erica De Mane

Pressed panini with fontina and prosciutto.

Recipes:

Baked Cavatappi with Fennel, Tomato, and Mozzarella
Pressed Panini with Fontina, Prosciutto, and Sweet Green Olivata
Pressed Mozzarella and Salami Panini with Sweet Vinegar Peppers

For years I’ve kept a file on my computer called “Food to Think About.” It’s a running journal of notes on foods or ingredients I’ve become interested in and want to learn more about, or specific dishes I’ve heard of or dreamt of and want to make sure I get around to making. I keep adding to it, and it gets longer and longer. From early November there’s an entry that just says, “tomatoes with fennel. Check Olney for Provencal combinations.” Olney means Richard Olney’s wonderful 1993 book Provence the Beautiful, a big coffee-table thing that is a lot richer and more nuanced than you’d think from its cover, in keeping with the high standards Olney always attained with his writing. I refer to it often for inspiration. I went back and checked Olney for the tomato-and-fennel recipe I thought I remembered, but it wasn’t there. It was in some other Provence book, but I couldn’t figure out which. I think this fennel-tomato idea became a fixation when the weather was turning cold because I wanted to hold onto some summer flavor, but I let the thought drift to the back of my culinary mind until December, when I needed to make a dish to feed a crowd for a fiftieth birthday party I was giving, for my friend Barbara. A baked pasta seemed like a good idea, so I plunged in and gave it the fennel-tomato treatment I’d been ruminating over, and a very good recipe was born (and a good time was had by all). Tomato does something very interesting to the taste of fennel; it cuts its sweetness and adds acidity, blending the best of both vegetables, creating a unique vegetable taste. Basil is a perfect herb to add to this combo since it has an anisey flavor that heightens fennel’s fennely one.

“Flat panini with bits of acidity. Include some pickled something.” That was an entry from mid-December, when I was on a sandwich binge. I hardly ever make sandwiches, and I got the idea I should start. I’ve always loved those flattened, hot panini they serve at small cafes in New York (and Italy). Beatniky Cafe Reggio, darkly patinaed with 75 years of cigarette smoke, and old-world Caffe Dante are places I’ve been sitting around in since high school, and they’re still operating, in central Greenwich Village, pretty much unchanged. I love stopping at Dante when it’s really cold out since it’s always hot and steamy inside, I suppose because of the cappuccino machine. I inevitably order a flat little prosciutto-and-mozzarella panini and an espresso or a glass of their terrible red wine and just hang out as long as I can. Unfortunately many of these atmospheric boho places have closed and been replaced by Starbucks, with their ten-ton gross-out muffins and burnt-tasting coffee.

The flattened panini are made on square white sandwich bread (same as in Italy) and thinly filled with mozzarella and prosciutto, or fontina and sun-dried tomatoes, or salami. Some kind of meltable cheese is a must to glue the things together. At Dante these panini have always been served with a few vinegared artichokes on the side (of the Progresso type, I’m pretty sure). This, in my opinion, is an essential element. Often I’ll stick the artichokes into the sandwich; other times I’ll take little bites of the sharp artichoke in between bites of the rich, oily sandwich (and these sandwiches can be dispensed with in about 5 bites). So when I thought to construct my own flat panini I knew they needed an acid touch to balance the flavors. I went South, resurrecting a sweet vinegar-pepper preserve that we always bought in jars as a kid, and then blended together green olives, lemon, a pinch of sugar, and thyme for a quick olivata. Both of these sharp little preserves go extremely well with cheese and cured meats.

Caffes make these sandwiches with imported panini presses that squeeze the things together, but a stovetop grill pan and a little arm pressure work just fine.

Baked Cavatappi with Fennel, Tomato, and Mozzarella

Fennel, tomato, and mozzarella, are a great mix of flavors, as I discovered when I put together this baked pasta. You’ve got acid, sweet, and the all-out lusciousness of the mozzarella. I’ve added pancetta for even more flavor, but you can easily leave it out for a vegetarian version.

(Serves 4 or 5 as a main course)

Extra-virgin olive oil
3 thin slices of pancetta, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, cut into small dice
A small palmful of fennel seeds
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A generous pinch of sugar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 35-ounce can of Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with the juice
1 pound cavatappi pasta (or penne)
1 small ball of mozzarella, cut into small dice
A dozen basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup grated pecorino Toscana cheese

Set up a large pot of pasta-cooking water and bring it to a boil.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium flame. Add the pancetta, and sauté until it’s just starting to crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, fennel, and fennel seed. Season with salt, black pepper, and the pinch of sugar, and sauté until everything is tender and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add the white wine, and let it bubble until almost dry. Add the tomatoes, and simmer at a low bubble for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

While the sauce is simmering, add a generous amount of salt to the pasta-cooking water and drop in the cavatappi.

When the cavatappi is al dente, drain it well and pour it into a large baking dish (11 by 14 by 3 inches works well). Pour the sauce over the cavatappi, and toss. Scatter on the mozzarella and the basil and about half of the pecorino, and toss gently to distribute everything. Sprinkle the remaining pecorino over the top, and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Bake, uncovered, until the pasta is hot and bubbling and the top is a bit crusty, about 30 minutes. You can make the pasta ahead and refrigerate it, but return it to room temperature before baking.

Pressed Panini with Fontina, Prosciutto, and Sweet Green Olivata

Leftover olivata (olive paste) is nice tossed into a tomato-sauced pasta, folded into scrambled eggs, or eaten with a cheese plate. I also like it spread over grilled leg of lamb.

(Makes 2 panini)

To make olivata:

1 cup green olives, pitted
The leaves from 4 large thyme sprigs
1/4 teaspoon sugar
A few grindings of black pepper
The grated zest from 1 small lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until you have a slightly chunky paste. Transfer to a little bowl. This will keep about 5 days refrigerated.

For the panini:

4 slices of white sandwich bread
4 thin slices of fontina Val d’Aosta cheese
4 thin slices of prosciutto di Parma (or another Italian prosciutto)
Freshly ground black pepper
A tiny pinch of salt

To make the panini, set a stove-top grill over medium-low heat. Lay the bread out on a countertop or cutting board and place a slice of fontina on each one. Place the prosciutto on two of the fontina-covered slices and season with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Spread a thin layer of olivata over the prosciutto, and close up the panini. Brush the tops generously with olive oil, and place the sandwiches, oil side down, on the grill. Press gently on the panini with a spatula while they’re cooking. You want the panini to brown slowly so they heat through. Brush the top side of the panini with olive oil. When the bread starts to brown and show grill marks, flip the panini over and grill the other side, pressing down on them often to flatten them. They should be golden brown, not grilled black. When the panini are nicely browned (this should take about 8 minutes total), pull them from the grill and cut them in half on the diagonal. Serve right away.

I love this type of panini served alongside a small salad, maybe made with something bitter like arugula or escarole. These little panini, I find, are especially delicious served with a glass of prosecco.

Pressed Mozzarella and Salami Panini with Sweet Vinegar Peppers

Leftover vinegar peppers are wonderful spooned over sautéed pork chops or included on an antipasto plate.

(Makes 2 panini)

To make sweet vinegar peppers:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 allspice, ground to a powder
1 bay leaf, fresh if possible
1 garlic clove, peeled and lightly crushed
2 tablespoons sherry-wine vinegar or high-quality white-wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine

In a medium sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers, sugar, salt, allspice, bay leaf, and garlic, and sauté until the peppers are fragrant and just slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the vinegar, and let it bubble for a minute, then add the wine and 1/4 cup of warm water, and let everything simmer, uncovered, just until the peppers are tender but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the peppers cool in the pot. When cool, transfer to a small glass or ceramic dish and store covered in the refrigerator. The peppers will last about five days.

For the panini:

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices white sandwich bread
4 thin slices mozzarella
4 thin slices of Genoa or Milano salami
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To make the panini, set up a stovetop grill plate over medium-low heat. Place a slice of mozzarella on each slice of bread. Put two slices of salami on two of the mozzarella-covered bread slices and season lightly with salt and pepper. Lift a small spoonful of the pepper slices from the bowl, draining off their liquid, and scatter them over the salami. Close up the panini. Brush the tops generously with olive oil and place the sandwiches, oil side down, on the grill. Press gently on the panini with a spatula while they’re cooking. You want the panini to brown slowly so they heat through. Brush the top side of the panini with olive oil. When the bread starts to brown and show grill marks, flip the panini over and grill the other side, pressing down on them often to flatten them. They should be golden brown, not grilled black. When the panini are nicely browned (this should take about 8 minutes total), pull them from the grill and cut them in half on the diagonal. Serve right away, with a few extra vinegar peppers and a handful of olive on the side, if you like.

A glass of Chianti is excellent with this panini.