Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 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)

Instruction

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
  • 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.
  • 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.)
  • 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.).
  • 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.