Italian sandwiches have been a favorite of mine since I was a child. The porky, spicy, peppery, vinegary, elements danced on my tastebuds and I couldn’t get enough. While my family and I lived in Italy, we came across this little deli shop by a shipping dock. I was only 7 or 8 years old, but I remember this day vividly. It was the day I truly fell in love with Italian sub sandwiches and specifically the pickled eggplant they put on this particular one. At the time and for many years to come, I didn’t know it was an eggplant. I also didn’t see this ingredient added to any other sandwiches that were deemed an Italian sub, but I distinctly remember that the first bite gave me pause. There was something so different and intriguing about this sandwich that I needed to know what it was. Like most kids trying new things, I began to pick apart the food. I ate each ingredient by itself until that distinct taste hit me again. This one thing didn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen; kind of brown in color, oily but tasted similar to a pickle but not quite. I asked my mom what it was and she didn’t really know. She said she just ordered the Italian sub sandwich. From that moment on, I only ever wanted Italian sandwiches. We only ate at that little shop a couple of times, but the memory is etched deep in my brain. And, while I still loved the Italian sandwiches from elsewhere, I yearned for that specific taste again.

The details to how I discovered it could possibly be eggplant are very fuzzy. I can’t recall the exact moment of my discovery, but I’m elated that I finally figured it out. I know a lot of you out there have probably have had an Italian sub or two in your life, but I promise you, this one is thoughtfully crafted and in my personal opinion, the epitome of an Italian sandwich. In the words of my boyfriend, it tastes exactly how you image an Italian sandwich should taste. That might not sound like a mind blowing statement, but when you taste it, you’ll get it. The assorted meats, along with the added fresh mozzarella, pesto, olives, roasted red peppers and eggplant, come together so exquisitely, there’s nothing more I want to accompany me on my outdoor spring and summer adventures.

The key to this recipe is the press. Pressing the sandwich allows all those beautiful layers of flavor to marry together and melt into the bread delivering a flavor boost you didn’t know you were missing. You want to allow it to be in this pressing state for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. The longer the better, but if you are going over 30 minutes, place the sandwich into the refrigerator. We don’t do spoiled food over here!

Like any other sandwich, this one completely customizable. So, if something isn’t for you, don’t use it. I typically cut the bread loaf in half to create two different sandwiches, which you can probably tell by the images in this post. However, for the recipe, I’m highlighting my favorite one. So, here is what it entails:

Bread:

Ciabatta bread - A structurally sound bread that when pressed allows the flavors to sink into it, but doesn’t become soggy or too flat once pressed.

Meats:

Ham - I used classic bone-in sliced ham. This is a neutral flavored ham that’s not too sweet or smokey to play well with the rest of the meats.
Mortadella - Or, what I like to call fancy bologna
Prosciutto - A cured more complex salty, silky and fatty ham
Genoa salami - A cured peppery pork sausage

Other accoutrements:

Castelvetrano green olives - Every good Italian sandwich needs some type of bright, briny acidity to balance out the fatty pork based assorted meats. Typically this is accomplished by adding a splash of vinegar directly on the sandwich, but because we don’t want the sandwich to become soggy, chopped up olives is a great alternative.
Roasted red peppers - Provides some vegetal sweetness
Pesto - Instead of using mayonnaise, pesto is used as the condiment spread. Your favorite store bought pesto will work.
Marinated eggplant - The hidden gem. I used this marinated eggplant recipe. You will need to prepare this at least 24 hours before you assemble the sandwich. Like the olives, the marinated eggplant provides some additional acidity.
Fresh mozzarella cheese - You can’t have a proper Italian sandwich without it. Italy and mozzarella go hand in hand.

Pressed Italian Sandwich

Yields: 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

1 cibatta loaf
6 slices ham
4 slices proscuitto
8 slices genoa salami
8 slices mortadella
2 tbsp pesto
1/4 cup roasted red peppers(chopped)
1/4 cup Castelvetrano green olives (chopped)
4-6 slices marinated eggplant
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced)

Special Tools

bread knife
parchment paper
plastic wrap
something weighted like books or cast iron & canned goods

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Instructions

Begin by cutting the ciabatta loaf in half lengthwise using a bread knife.
On the top half of the bread, evenly spread the pesto, followed by the olives, red peppers, eggplant and cheese. Then, layer your assorted meats on the bottom bread. Close sandwich.
Wrap sandwich tightly in parchment paper, then plastic wrap. Place heavy books or a cast iron pan with canned goods on top of the wrapped sandwhich for 30 minutes.
When ready, remove the weighted object and slice sandwich into individual servings and enjoy.

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