Ino's Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Ino's Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich
Ino's Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich
My favorite American sandwich is a BLT, yet it almost didn't make it into this book; the world doesn't need another recipe for it. But after eating at 'ino, a tiny sandwich shop in Greenwich Village in New York, I decided their version—a PLT—was a different story. P is for pancetta, sold at Italian delis and upscale markets. Cut from a large salami-like roll, it is the Italian version of bacon, unsmoked and cured with salt and spices. This is strictly a seasonal sandwich; I forbid you to make it at any time except when tomatoes are at their prime—ripe, juicy, and sweet.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: Serves 4
Italian Sandwich Garlic Tomato Picnic Quick & Easy Lunch Lemon Ham Arugula Sugar Conscious Dairy Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 recipe lemon aioli
  • 8 ounces pancetta, sliced into 16 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling over the tomatoes
  • 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, core end discarded, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 8 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • approximately 2 cups arugula leaves, loosely packed (about 1 to 1 1/2 ounces)

Preparation Place the slices of pancetta about 1/2 inch apart from each other on a baking sheet. Cook them for about 20 minutes, until they're cooked through, but not crisp. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato slices, and sprinkle them with salt. Allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes. To assemble the sandwiches: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the lemon aioli on one side of each slice of bread. Arrange the slices of pancetta on the bottom of the slices of bread, and place tomato slices over it. Arrange the arugula on top and cover with the top slice of bread. Spread the outer slices of bread with softened butter and grill in a panini machine, or brush with olive oil and grill on a charcoal or gas grill. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal. Per serving: 150.0 calories, 90.0 calories from fat, 10.0g total fat, 1.0g saturated fat, 0.0mg cholesterol, 700.0mg sodium, 4.0g total carbs, 0.0g dietary fiber, 1.0g sugars, 10.0g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book by Nancy Silverton, with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2002 by Nancy Silverton, with Teri Gelber. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz. Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.