Panini Recipes – Roast Beef, Arugala and Provolone

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Just because the word panini is Italian in origin, doesn’t mean that you can’t make a good American panini. What’s more American than roast beef? This panini recipe takes some ingredients with bold flavors and combines them together into a sandwich that you’ll love.

For the bread in this panini, a ciabatta roll or even a baguette would be perfect. This is a hearty sandwich so you want a crunchy crust with a chewy center for your bread.

You’ll also need some rare Roast Beef cut very thinly. If you’re buying it at the deli, be sure to ask for it cut very thinly. Biting into a big wad of meat is not very appetizing at all.

Provolone has a great flavor and adds a lot to any sandwich. Sliced provolone is okay but even better would be to buy a wedge of provolone and break off a few bits for this panini. They say that you aren’t supposed to cut provolone with a knife but I’m not sure of the reason why. I’m sure it’s not a big deal really but if you want to become a professional cheese eater, you may want to look it why that’s important.

My favorite part of the movie My Blue Heaven was when Steve Martin complained about how there was no arugala in the new town he was living in. It’s also my favorite part of this sandwich. Be sure to add lots of fresh arugula leaves to the panini.

And for the special sauce, you’re going to want horseradish. The best way to add the horseradish flavor to your sandwich is to buy a flavored mayonnaise or a dressing at the supermarket. If you can’t find one, then you can make your own. Just add a dab of horseradish to a tablespoon or so of mayonnaise and mix it up well. Spread it all over one of the sides of the bread.

The key to this panini recipe is how the ingredients compliment each other. The bitterness of the arugala, the very sharp flavor of the provolone and the tang of the horseradish will make any roast beef taste great. Warm it up together inside of a ciabatta roll or a baguette and you’ll see why this is one of my favorite panini recipes.