Cold Pressed Italian Sandwiches

This is the 3rd place I have taken these sandwiches and they have been given high reviews each time, so I thought I'd pass it on in case you need a Superbowl/football watching party idea.

The best thing about them? 1.) you don't have to cook anything - it's just assembly and 2.) They are made a day ahead, so you have time to get them done.

• One large loaf of ciabatta split in half.
• Spread one small jar of basil pesto on both sides of the bread.
• Sprinkle balsamic vinegar on the bottom half of the loaf.
• Layer meat and cheese. (I used salami, turkey, ham, provolone and then prosciutto.)
• 1 bag of arugula (I know it looks like a lot, but it presses down. You need the whole bag.)
• Pepper the top half of the bread and top off sandwich.
• Then wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and put between two baking sheets with a brick, heavy cans, heavy skillet, etc. to press the sandwich down.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, unwrap and cut into cute little bite-sized sandwiches and secure with a toothpick.

You could easily add roasted red pepper to add a pretty red layer. You could add basil pesto on one loaf and sun-dried tomato pesto on the other. Anything really. I would be wary of fresh tomatoes or anything too watery. You don't want watery sandwiches. You could use any lettuce or fresh spinach, but I think arugula has a pepper bite that helps cut through the rich meat and cheese.

 

These are VERY rich and a little expensive to make, so the smaller the sandwich bite, the better. It goes farther and people get just a yummy bite and not a huge, heavy sandwich.