Prosciutto Panini with Artichoke-Lemon Aïoli

Serves 4

Pan IconWHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: With salty prosciutto, nutty Italian fontina, and mildly bitter, crunchy radicchio, these panini offer great flavor and texture. To really set them apart, we use a bright artichoke spread made by adding artichoke hearts to a classic aïoli (lemon, garlic, and mayonnaise). Making it in the food processor is quick and easy. To ensure the aïoli doesn’t become watered down, we squeeze excess liquid from the thawed frozen artichokes using a clean dish towel. And to give our sandwiches the signature marks and texture you would get from a panini press, we cook our sandwiches on a nonstick grill pan and weight the sandwiches with a Dutch oven (you can use a 12-inch nonstick skillet if you don’t own a grill pan). Avoid Swedish or Danish fontina; both are inexpensive fontinas coated in red wax that have a generic, unremarkable flavor.

9

ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry

½

cup mayonnaise

1

teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

2

garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

8

(½-inch-thick) slices rustic white bread

8

ounces fontina cheese, shredded (2 cups)

8

ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

½

head radicchio (5 ounces), cored and sliced thin

2

tablespoons olive oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Process artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, and garlic in food processor until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Spread artichoke mixture evenly on 1 side of each bread slice. Layer 1 cup fontina on top of artichoke mixture on 4 slices bread, then top with prosciutto, radicchio, and remaining 1 cup fontina. Place remaining 4 slices bread, artichoke-mixture side down, on top of cheese to make sandwiches.

3. Heat 12-inch nonstick grill pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Brush outside of sandwiches lightly with oil. Place 2 sandwiches in pan and weight with Dutch oven. Cook sandwiches until bread is golden brown and crisp and cheese is melted, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer sandwiches to prepared wire rack and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining 2 sandwiches. Serve.