Grilled Cheese Italiano

This recipe is a very special recipe. It is such a quick and easy recipe, you can add ingredients to it or just keep it the original way it is. 

Diane Quarantello, director of the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club , entered this recipe in a contest , “Adventures in Foods”  in 1971, at the age of 14 as a member of the International Center and Girl’s Club of Niagara Falls, New York. 
Her closing statement in this contest entry was,  “ I picked this sandwich because it is a more appealing variation of the grilled cheese.  Also, the ingredients of this sandwich are my favorite, especially the salami.”

The only twist that I put towards the "Grilled Cheese Italiano" was the bread. Now that we are here living in Ohio, in my previous blogs I mentioned how we do not have the delicious Italian bread that we once enjoyed in Niagara Falls!  So for a little change in taste, I stopped by Panera Bread and bought a loaf of there bread. Wow.. what a great choice.

You make this recipe the same exact way you would any sandwich, then to give it that added touch of "Italiano" you season it with some Oregano and a few other mouth watering seasonings.

You can grill this recipe the same way you would make a grilled cheese sandwich. I decided to use my panini press.  The bread that I was using, was thicker than most Italian breads, so the panini press was a great way to thin it out along with toasting it a little.

Wait until the bread is nice and golden brown this way it is toasted all the way through!

What better way to experience an Italian sandwich. I served chili along with this recipe. You can serve soup, salad or just throw a few potato chips on a plate and your lunch/dinner is served. Hope you enjoy and Thank You Diane for submitting this recipe and sharing it with Niagara Falls.