Mortadella Sandwich - With Burrata and Pistachio Pesto!

A mortadella Sandwich, a classic Italian panino recipe that features the cold cut mortadella, an Italian deli meat made from cured pork. In this sandwich, mortadella is paired with burrata and pistachio pesto, all held together by beautiful schiacciata bread; it's a traditional Italian flavor combination.

All'Antico Vinaio is a famous sandwich shop in Florence, and is renowned for its panini (the Italian word for sandwiches!). This particular sandwich is based off of All'Antico Vinaio's "La Paradiso" panino. Did you know that the word "panini" is actually plural for the word "panino"?

If you're looking for more All'Antico Vinaio sandwiches, check out this salami sandwich, prosciutto sandwich, porchetta sandwich, and pancetta sandwich.

Panini are generally more simple in terms of ingredients compared to North American sandwiches; panini often consist of just two or three ingredients, and often without any condiments; they're something I make often in my Italian kitchen. In this panino recipe, mortadella is paired simply with burrata and pistachio pesto.

You can use any type of bread to make a mortadella sandwich. I used schiacciata in this recipe, just like All'Antico Vianaio does, which is similar to focaccia, with a fluffy consistency that definitely "holds" all the ingredients quite nicely.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make a mortadella panino:

• Mortadella: The luncheon meat used for this recipe. Mortadella is a cold cut made from finely ground or minced pork.
  
• Burrata: A soft, fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream.
  
• Pistachio pesto: Pistachio pesto is spread onto the mortadella sandwich. It adds a nice fresh flavor!
  
• Schiacciata bread: The type of bread that I used. Schiacciata is an Italian flatbread similar to focaccia. You can use any type of bread that you prefer to make a mortadella sandwich.

Filling options

Italian panini are known for being very simple. In fact, it is common for Italians to add only mortadella to a sandwich so that they can maximize its flavor and truly savor it.

Sometimes, cheeses like fresh mozzarella or provolone are added to mortadella sandwiches. But the key is to keep it as simple as possible. Mortadella, burrata, and pistachio pesto are the only fillings I used in this recipe. Here are a few other filling options that you can try:

• Mortadella, stracciatella, grilled zucchini
• Mortadella, buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato

Other filling ideas for a mortadella panino include black olives, pickled vegetables or roasted red peppers. Note that using these toppings will make the recipe less "classic", but you can add them if you prefer - in any way you make the panino, the key is to let the mortadella flavor really shine by complementing it with fresh toppings.

How to make it

Cut a piece of schiacciata, or whichever bread you are using. Slice the schiacciata lengthwise to form two pieces of bread that you can add the ingredients to.

Spread pistachio pesto on the base of the bread (photo 1)

Top with mortadella and burrata. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios (photos 2-4)

Place the other piece of bread on top to form a sandwich (photo 5)

Cut the panino in half. Serve and enjoy! (photo 6)

Storage

For the best quality and flavor, you should eat mortadella sandwiches right after they are made. It is not recommended to store a mortadella sandwich in the refrigerator.

Top tips

• There are many types of mortadella you can buy in-store, but the most common one is mortadella that is dotted with peppercorns. In this recipe, I used mortadella that is dotted with pistachios inside as well. You can use whichever mortadella you can find at your grocer or Italian store (will most likely be the one with peppercorns)

Recipe