5 Ingredients or Fewer

Incredible Italian Ham and Cheese Sandwich

by:
September 30, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes 2 sandwiches
Author Notes

During a visit to Florence, we had as an appetizer coccoli con stracchino e prosciutto which is the beautiful Italian way of saying ham and cheese. This was no regular ham and cheese though. No! Coccoli are these incredible little salty, hot, olive oily balls of bread, and I can never quite get enough of them. They paired with a giant platter of these a plate of prosciutto and a bowl of melted stracchino, a terrific cheese with a great melt quality. In a casual yet highbrow way, you made your own mini ham-and-cheese sandwiches. I don’t like ham and I don’t love prosciutto but I gobbled these down like nobody's business.
I can't find stracchino near my home in the US so mixed taleggio and asiago fresco with wonderful results! Buon appetito! —em-i-lis

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Ingredients
  • 4 thick slices good country bread
  • 2 large strips prosciutto (I used prosciutto di san daniele by principe)
  • 2 ounces Taleggio
  • 2 ounces Asiago fresco
Directions
  1. In a small, heavy-bottomed pot (I used a 1.5 quart Staub) set over medium-low heat (I used my simmer burner and had it on medium), put the cheeses and let cook until melted, lowering the temp if things in the pot get too active. You want it at a steady melt.
  2. Meanwhile, toast the bread and when they’re crispy and warm, put the prosciutto strips on each of two bread slices. On the other bread slices, spoon the melted cheese. Press the two sides of each sandwich together and enjoy immediately!

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3 Reviews

healthierkitchen February 26, 2013
now I'm really getting ready to eat in Florence! Yum!
mrslarkin September 30, 2012
OH! Stracchino! My aunts would smuggle this back to the states and we would eat it with Piadina. I remember once my mom purposely left a pound of Polly-O mozzarella out on the counter for days, and it kinda turned into this ripe oozy cheesy stracchino-like thing. I think your recipe is a much better solution. :) Thanks for the recipe, em!
em-i-lis September 30, 2012
oh, i love the spirit of your aunts. the smuggle-through-customs thing is great! cheese, wine, whatever! it must be done sometimes.
i've got to say that this is a good approximation. you come make me an ode to the casseus cheese truck and i'll make you one of these. ;)