Grilled Italian Panini

With the weather warming up, I was recently flipping through our grilling cookbook on the hunt for some new recipes to try out. As soon as I saw this photo (below), my mouth started to water and I knew I had found what I was looking for. (FYI, that is actually several sandwiches stacked on top of each other, not one towering sandwich.) We made these out on Sunday night. They were really pretty easy to assemble, and they have a zesty flavor to rival a good restaurant sandwich.

• 16 oz unsliced ciabatta loaf
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 oz thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp basil pesto
• 4 oz thinly sliced ham
• 4 oz thinly sliced salami
• Several romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 recipe red onion relish

Carefully trim off and discard top crust of the bread and make a flat surface. Turn bread over; trim off and discard bottom crust. Cut remaining bread horizontally into two 1/2 inch-thick slices. Brush one side of each bread slice with oil.

Place half of the provolone cheese on the unoiled side of one slice of bread. In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise and pesto; spread over cheese. Layer with ham (we used prosciutto), salami, red onion relish, lettuce, and remaining cheese. Top with other slice of bread, oiled side up.

Place panini on greased grill rack over medium heat. Put a 13x9-inch baking pan on panini; weigh down with several baking potatoes. Grill about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Use hot pads to remove baking pan. Carefully turn panini. Replace baking pan on panini; grill 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Red Onion Relish: Combine 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced (1 cup); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; and 1 teaspoon snipped fresh oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover; let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.