Salumeria Italiana is the place to go in the North End of Boston to buy Italian specialty foods. The store is small but meticulously furnished with some of the best of Italian imported and domestic products. For nearly five decades, the Martignetti family has upheld the time-honored tradition. It was early on a rainy morning when Tanya and I, camera and notepad in hand, paid a visit to the Salumeria. The workers were beginning to set up the products and sandwich of the day, getting ready for lunch. The resident salumiere, a timid elderly gentleman, repeatedly skirted the lens of our camera, but we did get some really good close-ups of the Salumeria panino of the day. No one was willing to share the recipe, either, so here is my rendition of what we saw and tasted; it is simple and simply delicious. Don’t miss out on visiting Paul Revere’s house, almost around the corner!
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Slice focaccia in half crosswise, and put on a baking sheet. Warm in the oven while you prepare the sandwich filling.
Step 2
Gently toss together the plum tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, vinegar, oil, and salt in a bowl.
Step 3
Put the bottom half of each piece of focaccia on your work surface, and layer sandwiches as follows. Drizzle focaccia with some of the juices from the tomato mixture. Layer with a slice of prosciutto, then layer with the slices of tomatoes. Follow with another slice of prosciutto, then the slices of mozzarella, then the remaining prosciutto. Drizzle cut sides of the tops of the focaccia with remaining juices from the tomato bowl, and set atop the sandwiches. Cut in half and serve.
