This is one of my favorite combinations; the salty prosciutto and creamy melted fontina cheese make my mouth water. It’s amazing how grilling the sandwich brings all the ingredients together, turning an everyday sandwich into the embodiment of comfort food.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 sandwich

　　2 slices of fontina cheese (3 ounces total)

　　2 slices of rustic white bread (each 1/2 inch thick)

　　1 paper-thin slice of red onion (optional)

　　1 paper-thin slice of prosciutto

　　6 fresh baby spinach leaves

　　Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

　　About 2 teaspoons olive oil

　　

Step 1

Place 1 slice of fontina cheese atop 1 bread slice. Top with the onion, then the prosciutto and the spinach. Sprinkle with the pepper. Top with the second slice of fontina, then with the second bread slice. Brush both sides of the sandwich with the oil.

　　

Step 2

Preheat a griddle or a ridged grill pan over a medium-low flame. Grill the sandwich until the bread is golden brown and the cheese melts, pressing down with a metal spatula, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the sandwich to a plate and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.