Coppa is an Italian cured meat made from thinly sliced pork shoulder. It is a perfect meat for sandwiches and goes well with melted cheese (then again what doesn’t?) I thought the tangy, Spanish Manchego cheese would go nicely with the flavors of the coppa. I read online that coppa is usually seasoned with white wine before curing so I marinated the tomatoes in white wine, then roasted them in the oven. I patted down the tomatoes a bit so that any wine vapor wouldn’t make the oven catch fire! The result was a wine infused roasted tomato and a fire-free kitchen. On top of the roasted tomatoes I added a layer of basil and grilled it all together. I really liked the sourdough bread with the slightly sour/tangy manchego. The roasted tomatoes provided sweet acidity and the pork was flavorful and a little smoky. All the ingredients were nicely balanced and it was an all around tasty sandwich!
Coppa and Manchego Cheese Sandwich with Roasted Tomatoes
(makes 3 sandwiches)
Printable Version
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced
- 4-5 oz. coppa
- 6 slices sourdough bread
- 6 oz. manchego cheese, sliced
- 1 handful basil
- pepper to taste
Directions:
- Put the tomato slices in a bag and pour in the white wine and garlic. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Drain the white wine and lay the tomatoes flat on a pan. Pat down with a cloth to soak up excess liquid. Brush with olive oil and pepper.
- In a 425F oven, bake the tomatoes for about 10 minutes until they are slightly dry.
- On one slice of bread, add the cheese, coppa slices, roasted tomatoes and basil.
- Grill on a foreman or panini grill until the cheese has melted.