Recipes | Apple Mortadella Melt with Pistachio Pesto
Apple Mortadella Melt with Pistachio Pesto
Up your lunch game with this gooey, irresistible salty/sweet melt. This fully loaded sandwich features layers of buttery mortadella, gooey mozzarella, bitter radicchio, and crisp slices of Ontario-grown gala apples. Served between slices of toasted ciabatta slathered with vibrant pistachio pesto, this sandwich is one of the tastiest ways to welcome apple season.When selecting your apples look for fruit without bruises or blemishes. The apple should feel firm to the touch with tight, smooth skin. Because apples prefer a cool, slightly humid environment, store them in a perforated plastic bag in your crisper. Toss any damaged or soft apples before storing them because it’s true what they say – one bad apple will spoil the bunch. And finally, look for the green Foodland sticker to ensure you’re buying local.
Ingredients
Servings
Pistachio Pesto
- 120g (4oz) unsalted pistachios, shells removed
- 40g (1.5oz) fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup olive oil
The Melt
- 12 slices mortadella
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 1 loaf ciabatta, cut into four pieces
- ⅓ cup Pistachio Pesto, see above
- 2 Ontario-grown gala apples, sliced thin
- ½ head radicchio, torn
Instructions
Step 1
Place the pistachios, basil, garlic, salt, and Parmigiano Reggiano in a food processor. Blitz until the nuts are nice and fine.Step 2
Set the food processor to low and slowly stream in the olive oil. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and set it aside.Step 3
Fold the mortadella slices into triangles. Place two triangles in a non-stick frying pan and top them with a piece of mozzarella. Add two more slices of the mortadella and another piece of mozzarella. Repeat this pattern one more time, so there are three layers of meat and three layers of cheese. Create a second pile of cheese and mortadella next to the first in the same formationStep 4
Fold the mortadella slices into triangles. Place two triangles in a non-stick frying pan and top them with a piece of mozzarella. Add two more slices of the mortadella and another piece of mozzarella. Repeat this pattern one more time, so there are three layers of meat and three layers of cheese. Create a second pile of cheese and mortadella next to the first in the same formationStep 5
While the cheese is melting, toast the ciabatta slices. Slather each piece with the pistachio pesto. Place the torn radicchio on the bottom pieces of the ciabatta. Top the radicchio with a melted mortadella stack. Top the mortadella and cheese with the apple, and place the remaining ciabatta slices on top.Step 6
Serve immediately.